


I Want To Paint Your Lips

by mssjynx



Category: Banana Bus Squad
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mental Institution, Fanfiction, Kissing, M/M, Making Out, Murder, Romance, Schizophrenia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-21 03:02:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 28,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11348502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mssjynx/pseuds/mssjynx
Summary: Evan's worked at the asylum for over a year, and had given up all other patients in order to take Delirious, a ranked 9.1 schizophrenic, full time. Delirious is known infamously for being completely unpredictable and childishly stubborn, and only ever able to be controlled by Evan. When curiosity mixes with unpredictability, Delirious manages to coerce Evan down the rabbit hole with him and choices have to be made that risk the lives of both men in the desperation to keep them both alive and (relatively) sane.





	1. Chapter 1

Wearing a strait jacket did not seem comfortable. The way the thin man was curled over on the old plastic chair - bolted to the ground for safety - with his arms pinned across his ribs. Especially with a level three jacket. 

Only the really out of control patients earnt those ones. The material was thick and heavy, and buckles strapped his arms together, to his chest. The ends of his sleeves were sewed shut and buckled down his back with two heavy buckles. The jacket itself was skin-tight around his shoulders, hips and waist and gave no wiggle-room. To top it off, he had a belt-style collar tightened around his neck, looped with a metre length of chain connecting him to the concrete wall behind him. 

Evan watched him carefully, his legs swinging and scuffing against the concrete floor, with his face downcast. His body swayed back and forth, rattling the chain to fill the silent room. 

It was a habit of his, to make sure that there was always something to tickle his eardrums, if not speech. He liked a distraction. Even with the medication, his schizophrenia still lingered at the corners of his mind, tugging and nagging for him to listen.

"How are you feeling today, Delirious?" Evan asked, calm eyes watching the man sitting in front of him. He sat with a clipboard on the table in front of him, screwing the caps of the medication bottles back on as the patient, Jonathon – known infamously as Delirious – adjusted to the pills and gained composure and a sense of time and place.

The schizophrenic stretched his neck up, rolling his head and cracking the bones at the top of his spine, the sound mingling with the singing chains. Dark, big blue eyes looked up with dilated eyes. 

He always complained with a bright room. He preferred dim lighting. 

“Good morning, Evan,” he drawled, his voice full and rounded, thick with an odd tone to it. Most people who interacted with him had labelled it as creepy, something that would make them shiver and feel uncomfortable. Evan couldn’t deny the edge he spoke with. A screw or two were loose in there. “Lovely to have you drop by, I really can’t say how much I love our little talks,” he said. His eyes fixed onto Evan, studying his face, his expression, his posture. He loved to dawdle, Delirious, he loved to avoid questions and try draw out conversations as much as possible. He loved the company. 

Surprisingly unlike others, Evan didn’t mind the talks either. Although on the more psychotic side of things, Delirious wasn’t unenjoyable to chat with, sometimes he could even be nice to share a conversation. 

But he definitely liked avoiding questions.

“How are you feeling?” Evan repeated, in the same voice, earning a huff from Delirious from being dismissed. 

“Fine,” he muttered. His lips pinched together, but his eyes still glinted menacingly. 

He was very specifically known for his makeup, and he did not take well to having to washed off or removed. It helped calm him, in ways, and let the voices bickering in his mind tone down. He wore the makeup of a simple clown – big white circles over the eyes, outlined with green and red, with a green vertical strike down through his eyebrow and eye. An over exaggerated white grin was painted up to his cheekbones, with a smaller, more defined, bright red smile drawn over his lips, a circle at each end. 

Evan had learnt to put on the makeup decently well over time, having done it to help the man calm down and distract him several times and even done it on himself to entertain the man when they had activity time. 

“How did you sleep?” he asked, slightly softening his tone to calm the patient’s disgruntled attitude. It faded slightly as the man bore a childish grin and wriggled in his jacket for emphasis.

“Stiff,” he said with a little giggle, blinking his big eyes. He definitely knew how to play the innocent kid, an odd look for a twenty-eight year old. “Can you undo my straps a little bit today Evan?” His voice rose a tad, chirpy and kid-like as he beamed up at the man across the table. He pushed his legs beneath him, half way into standing before the chain yanked him back down. 

Evan shook his head tightly, expression still flat but soft. “You know I’m not allowed to do that, don’t you Delirious?” he spoke clearly and the crazed laugh bounced around the room loudly. His eyes squeezed shut and he bore his teeth in a grin. 

“Of course I do, you say so all the time!” he cackled, his words hilarious to himself only. 

Evan allowed a small smile, waiting patiently as the man calmed his giggling, his breaths coming out in little squeaks. The man rearranged himself as he grinned to himself, folding his legs under him on the chair to sit a bit higher and beam like a child showing off an award. “I’ll take you to the bathroom tomorrow evening and you can have a shower, but only if you behave for today and tomorrow, okay?” A quick nod, the grin didn’t shit. Evan stood. “Are you hungry at all now, Delirious, or would you rather just wait and have dinner when I come back at seven?” he asked, glancing at his digital watch. Three hours until then. 

“I can wait,” he said, slouching back into his chair and kicking his feet out from under him again. Evan gathered the contents of the table and tucked the bottles away into the little bag, sliding in the clipboard, empty of any important information. “Goodbye Evan,” he crowed as the man stood.

“See you tonight.” 


	2. Chapter 2

Delirious dragged the two pieces of pasta off the fork with his teeth, sitting back and chewing as Evan stabbed a few more and waited. He watched as the mental patient took his time in eating. He always did, and Evan had long since stopped urging him to go any faster. He’d had to give up his previous patients to take up Delirious full-time.

It meant visiting for check-ups three times a day plus taking time to take him anywhere else, such as monthly doctor checks or fortnightly bathroom runs, and whenever he deemed necessary he could take the patient to the arts room where he would sit and draw and paint for hours. He loved the art room. Evan did too. 

Directing another forkful to the red painted lips, Delirious swallowed and took another bite. Music played lightly from Evan’s phone, taking up the silence and blocking out any white noise that would bring the voices back to Jon’s mind. He still scuffed his feet.

“How are the voices?” Evan asked gently, feeding the thin man who shook his head. “Not been bothering you?” He shook his head no again and the Asian man smiled lightly. “That’s good.” He nodded, eyes crinkling before closing while he continued to chew. The bowl was set down and the Evan stood from where he’d been sitting on the edge of the table. “Full?” Nod. “Tired?” Nod. 

Delirious pushed his face up towards Evan, crinkling his nose in discomfort. “I have an itch,” he declared, tilting his head to the right to expose his pale neck. “Just above the collar at the back of my neck.” The brown-eyed man smiled slightly at the childish antics but bent forward and let his fingers drift around the back of Delirious’ neck. “Just there!” he chirped, Evan scratching his fingers along the skin to the top of the belt collar, as Jonathon smiled. “Left, left, left, left – other left! – yes just… there.” Delirious smirked before shooting forward and pressing a firm, deliberate kiss to Evan’s cheek. “Thanks, baby,” he said, cackling and rocking back. 

Evan stepped back, startled by the action vastly and watching the man giggle and laugh like he’d played a hilarious joke. He probably had. The guy didn’t have much entertainment around other than Evan, so it wasn’t a huge surprise that he was doing weird things, but Evan couldn’t exactly wrap his head around older mental patient kissing him on the cheek. 

“Are you just gonna stand there, big boy?” Delirious broke into more frantic laughter, shaking his chains and kicking his feet with a big grin. His eyes stayed on the man in front of him who swallowed and nodded firmly.

He’d let himself be the butt of the joke for now, no harm done. “Alright Del, try get some sleep. I know it’s hard but it’s better than nothing and tomorrow afternoon, you can shower and clean up. Sound good?” Evan said, collecting his belongings. 

“Sounds tolerable,” he shrugged, attempting to roll his shoulders only to sit with cracking his neck. 

Nod. “Goodnight Delirious.”

“Don’t I get a goodnight kiss?” 

The door locked shut, trapping his laughter inside. 

“Looks like someone’s got a girl swooning,” the thick Irish accent mystified beside Evan, dragging out a chair at the table and plonking down beside him. The voice belonged to a tall man, with thick eyebrows and facial hair. He had a kind face, and a rich voice, eyes dropping to Evan’s cheek. 

The shorter man glanced up at him, reaching up and rubbing at the offended cheek in confusion. Pulling his fingers away, they came off tinted red and he blushed. Of course, Delirious’ red lips. The whites and greens are all face paints, but he prefers proper lipstick to mark his smile – it’s nicer on his lips and doesn’t harden. It does, however, rub off on everything it touches; including Evan’s cheek.

“Er, yeah I guess,” he laughed awkwardly, reaching down the table and grabbing an apple to throw up for the Irishman to catch and tugged his phone out of his pocket. He didn’t particularly want to admit to his patient’s joke. “How’s Calibre?” He flicked open his phone, pulling up the camera and turning his face to look at the lipstick smudge. It was very obviously a pair of lips that had been there, but there was smudging around it from the stretch of his smile. He put his phone away and used a tissue to wipe it away.

Daithi, the Irishman, sighed softly. “Yeah he’s goin’ okay, more out of it than usual. Squeaker is stickin’ around fer longer nowadays but he’s okay when I get to see him. How’s Delirious?” 

Daithi de Nogla had a patient with multiple personality disorder named Lui Calibre. 

“A bit odd, but he always has been. Friendly,” Evan murmured taking a bite of an apple himself. Other caretakers mingled around the cafeteria, snacking and chatting before they were to go off on their other shifts to see other patients. Most people had two or three mild patients with lower risk statuses, some who were allowed to walk around and had more freedom because they were more set in their minds. 

Others, like Delirious, were on the higher side of things, level 9.1 on the scale. He was unpredictable and dangerous, and for that he needed to be checked frequently and kept company for large portions of the day. He needed the level three strait jacket, and was on one of the tighter schedules. Lui was similar, a 7.4. Unpredictable and in need of attention, but rarely ever seen as dangerous. He had a level two jacket though, no collar and the sleeves were shorter and open. He had to wear gloves instead, but had a bit more wiggle-room in his schedule too. 

Three knocks on wood signalled for attention at the right side of the room and the pair turned in their seats to an organiser. She stood with her blouse tucked in and pencil skirt neat. A boy stood beside her, only looking about twenty. He had a small smile on and stared at the ground with his arms tucked around a file. “I’d like to introduce Bryce, he’s only twenty but he has one of the best psychology records I’ve seen and has proven himself quite the talented one. Please teach him the ropes here and there and let him know he is welcome. He will be taking control of Ryan 7.9, known as Ohm.”

“Ryan? Yeesh that won’t be fun for a first patient,” Daithi muttered as the lady dismissed the attention and gave the boy a light push towards the tables. Most people turned back to their conversations, uninterested. Daithi half stood, waving a hand. “Bryce!” he called, and the boy perked up, hurrying to the table with the two older men. “Take a seat, Brycey, we’ll show the ropes of havin’ a higher rank patient.” The boy beamed shyly, sitting himself across from the two and Evan smiled at him. 

“It’s intimidating but you’ll get it – I’m Evan Fong, this is Daithi de Nogla,” he introduced. “He has a 7.4 and I’ve got a 9.1. We’ll give you a hand, we both know Ohm and he is definitely hard to handle at times so we can help whenever. You got a walkie?” To answer, Bryce unlatched his little device and held it up. “Add channel three, that’s the one Daithi, me and a few others with higher ranks chat with – you’ll meet them soon enough. You can alert us when you need something and it will beep three times if you are needed with your patient, they have a button they can press which will get your attention but they should only use it if it’s necessary. If you get five beeps, you gotta haul ass over there. It’s likely that it’ll be a disturbance that the cell will automatically notify you about through detectors and sensors. It hopefully won’t happen often, and if it does you’ll be ready by then.” 

Bryce took it all in nodding and adding the channel in just as Daithi grabbed his. “We gotta new guy on the Three, lads, he’s been given Ohm – his name’s Bryce. Be nice.”

It crackled and he returned it to his belt, knowing the other few would have heard and understood. They’d be able to introduce him later. For now, the three were done for the day and Evan was looking forward to a good night’s sleep. Bryce’s unit was by Daithi’s on the other side of the small campus just outside the facility, so they said their goodbyes as they hopped off the little bus at their stop, leaving Evan to get off five minutes later and fall into bed with his shoes still on. 


	3. Chapter 3

Evan was used to the fearful glances. The worry that darkened faces as he passed down the halls followed by the sounds of chains. Delirious grinned the whole time. He _loved_ the attention, no matter its intent. If his ankles weren’t chained together, Evan didn’t doubt that the man would be skipping along behind him.

Fortunately, he was chained as harshly as they could while allowing him some mobility. He wore his level three jacket, with two chains linked to the buckles that strapped his arms, one wrapped around Evan’s hand and the other connected to the chains around his ankles. They were loose, but only enough so that he could shuffle along. The chain from arms to ankle was high strung, forcing the man to hunch as he shuffled. It eliminated the bigger risks of him getting out of control or doing something violent.

The walkie at the man’s hip buzzed. “Everything good, Ev?” Tyler’s voice drifted through the speaker. Brown eyes glanced back at Jonathon, his smile big as his eyes met them halfway. He shuffled quicker in an attempt to match his partner’s pace and walk beside him. Evan faltered just slightly so he could, wanting him to be as comfortable and calm during the walk.

He unclipped the device and help it to his mouth. “Everything’s A-Okay. Bryce, are you bringing Ryan to the bathrooms?” he asked through, releasing the button and waiting as Delirious bumped his shoulder with his own. He was about an inch taller than the Asian man when he stood to his full height, and the way he walked with the chains brought him just a touch lower than him. It was a little bit more comforting – his height was undoubtedly intimidating, especially when he was acting up.

“Already here,” came the youngest voice.

They got to a heavy metal door and the card swiped through the scanner, allowing them to pass through. The bathroom was huge, cut in half for mental patients and caretakers to do their business separately. Delirious was lead to the mental patient section, rounding the tiled wall to see Bryce and his patient. Bryce was a few inches taller than Ryan but anxiety reeked from. It was clear that Ryan knew so too, his lips pulled back in a smirking grin.

He looked like a predator.

Ryan, or Ohm as he preferred to be addressed as (it was the same with Jonathon preferring Delirious), was known to be manipulative, and faceless to anyone who wasn’t a caretaker. In his cell, he wore a grey blindfold, a little ohm symbol on the fabric. He also took a liking to a pair of old, grey bunny ears that tuck in behind his ears, one flopping down. He looked dopey, and odd, but was not to be underestimated. He also wore a level three jacket, but only needed to wear the collar if by instruction of caretaker.

Bryce was too scared to let him off before he properly knew the patient. It was understandable.

“Bryce,” Evan greeted with a comfortable smile, hoping to ease him out of the nervous state. He turned to the blindfolded man who was still strapped into his jacket. “Ohm, how are you?”

The partially hidden face turned to him and the grin widened with a slightly less menacing tone to it. He clearly revelled in his caretakers nerves, but didn’t have so much malice towards the other. “Evan? It’s been a long time!” he purred, his voice low and twisted with a touch of laughter. “I’ve had a lovely day getting to know Brycey, he truly is a sweetheart, isn’t he?” The way he spoke sent a visible shudder through Bryce, and he laughed aloud, his caretaker shuffling back a bit.

“I hope you’re behaving for him,” Evan remarked lightly, but held his tone strong. He was a caretaker, he had the power over the patient and Ohm would be smart to recognise that. “Anyway, Bryce this is Delirious. Let’s get you two washed up and back in your rooms.”

Delirious grinned slyly at Bryce who shuddered but stood tall. The clown-faced man winked before turning back to Evan and stepping up into his personal space. The man wasn’t unused to it and unlinked the chain that connected his arms and ankles, squatting to unlink it from the short one that restricted feet movement. That one would stay on in case Jonathon had any ideas.

When he stood, Delirious arched back and looked down on Evan, able to stand taller and more intimidating. Evan didn’t pay any attention, meeting the crystal blue eyes with a firm look. “Del, you’re going to behave tonight, aren’t you? If you make this hard you know you’ll get consequences I can’t control, yes? I don’t want you to have to suffer, so be good.”

The schizophrenic leant forward to put his face directly at Evan’s eyelevel. “Of course, Evan! But only if you do one, _itsy-bitsy_ thing for me,” he said slowly, chuckling to himself as he studied the pair of dark eyes that waited patiently. He turned his face slightly to the left. “A kiss!” he chirped, giggling like a school girl as Evan furrowed his eyebrows.

Whatever Delirious was thinking, it was definitely entertaining for him. “Why do you want something like that, Del?” Evan asked calmly, not confirming or denying the man’s request as he unbuckled the two arm straps, letting them hang as the contained arms swung away from their body, stretching.

Delirious threw his head back and cackled, throwing a look over Evan’s shoulder to Ryan who was also being unbuckled, a smirk still frozen to his lips as his face followed Bryce as he moved. “I’ll be good if you give me one!” he sung childishly, looking back down as Evan studied his face closely. He lowered his voice. “If you don’t I might be a bit naughty.”

Evan let out a small exhale, leaning up and pressing his lips delicately against Jonathon’s painted cheek. Painted lips pulled up impossibly high with a big grin and he obediently turned around with another word, allowing his caretaker to unbuckle the last of the straps. Although unpredictable, he was true to his word. His tied sleeves were unclipped and his arms dropped to hang by his sides, the weight unusual and heavy to his unbalanced body. It was always weird for him to be able to move his arms. They didn’t have much strength to them, especially not after just being untied so Evan carefully eased the jacket up over his shoulders and off his arms, exposing a pale, packed chest with scars splattered across him like stars on the sky.

He didn’t say a word as he eased his pants off himself, Evan holding out cuffs. Obediently, his wrists were locked with five inches of room. “All good?” Evan asked, looking him over to make sure everything was loose and nothing looked bruised or out of place. He hung the jacket over a hook and Delirious removed his boxers with slight struggle before making his way to a shower. Evan followed, carefully clipping his wrists into a metal bar that jutted out half a metre below the shower head. He turned the water on, and allowed Del to adjust the temperature to his own liking while he turned to Bryce and Ryan.

“Bryce, honey, why don’t you get in with me?” Ohm purred, ‘stumbling’ into the taller man’s space and looking up. Now unclothed, his eyes stared with pointed mischief, successfully flustering his caretaker who was trying, with difficulty, to tug the jacket completely over Ryan’s head.

Evan sighed. “Ohm. Let him do his job,” he said firmly, walking over and pulling Ohm’s arms over his head, steadily pulling the jacket up and off while the patient paid no mind, staring into Bryce’s wide, innocent eyes with malice and amusement. “Bryce, do you want to put the cuffs on? Then you just link him to the bar and he can shower himself well enough. He’s a big boy, he can take off his own boxers, don’t let him trick you into doing it.”

Bryce’s cheeks were hot with a heavy blush from his patient’s attempts at seducing him. But he nodded hastily and retrieved the cuffs. Ohm held his wrists out welcomingly, watching with a predatory gaze as Bryce tightened them in place. Ohm stepped back into his personal space, making the younger boy freeze as lips brushed against his ear. “I love it when you cuff me, big boy,” he murmured, fingers curled in Bryce’s shirt to hold him close. “Maybe you could gag me next time too.”

Bryce felt like his face would burn his hands and Ohm stepped back with a satisfied grin, removing his boxers and clipping himself into the shower. Evan checked he was all locked in, giving Bryce a well-deserved break as Ohm smirked at Evan.

“I love the cute ones,” he purred, making sure his voice was loud enough to be heard by the flustered boy.

Evan shook his head. “Just shower so we can get you back in your jacket, Ryan,” he told the man.

Ohm yanked his chain against the metal bar, baring his teeth fiercely at the brunette, trying to step up closer but being held back. Evan wasn’t fazed. “Call me ‘Ohm’,” he snarled, lips curled back maliciously. Evan turned and walked back towards Bryce. He felt Delirious’ watch as he walked, glancing at the man who was smirking, amused by Ohm’s little performance.

If he does anything like that, Evan thought, I will kill Ohm for putting dumb ideas in his head.

“How you feeling?” he asked the light brunette, sitting down on the bench beside him where he could still see the two showering peacefully. Delirious was rolling his shoulder and stretching his arms as much as he could, humming and singing to himself with content. Ohm stood under the water without moving more than a bit of shuffling.

Bryce looked up at him with pink skin, shaking his head. “He’s sadistic,” he muttered with a heavy sigh.

Evan laughed lightly. “He is. I had a bit of time taking care of him too and it’s hard to get used to but you’ll figure out how he works soon enough. He’s one of the most manipulative, and he loves that he can get to you,” he said, running a hand through his hair with a sigh. “You’ll become so used to it, it won’t faze you soon. Just keep him at an arm’s length and don’t ever let him talk you into anything that would benefit him in a way that puts you or anyone else in danger. You’ll be fine.”

The blue-eyed cutie nodded and sighed. “How’s Jonathon?”

“He’s childish, and is very good at putting on an innocent face. His negotiations are also getting weirder. But he’s been doing well lately, listening at least.”

Bryce nodded, about to speak up before Delirious whimpered. “Evan,” he whined, head resting on the tiles before the shower head. His voice was breathy and desperate, Evan could see him shaking from where he sat. “My face’s running. It can’t come off, Evan. I need it to keep them quiet, Evan.” He choked on his words as the man stood and walked to the shower. Taking a few weak breaths he forced himself to keep going, eyes squeezed tightly shut. “Evan it _can’t_ come off. They’ll make me do it, Evan. They’ll make me do it. It can’t come off. I have to have my face, Evan. Evan!”


	4. Chapter 4

“It’s okay Del,” Evan said loudly. “I’ll do your paint as soon as you’re done showering, okay? Do you want me to wash it all off now?” he asked softly. Delirious whimpered at the words. “If I take it all off now I can put it on nicer afterwards. I’ll put it on very carefully and it will look much nicer than if I don’t take it all off now.”

The man shook and shuddered, knees looking like they wanted to buckle, if the bar wasn’t there. “O-okay.” His voice was very small and quiet, and he let Evan slowly come closer, picking up a cloth and standing just out of the water spray. He turned, one eye almost completely washed off and half the white around his mouth gone.

“It’s alright,” Evan murmured, soaking the cloth and wiping at the man’s face. His eyes rested shut, wincing with each swipe. His hands were curled tightly around the bar. “Talk to be, Delirious, what would you like to eat for dinner? I can get you past again like last night, or maybe I could get you chicken tonight. Would you prefer that? What do you want?”

“Chicken.” One word. Short. Fast. They were distracting him.

“Focus on my voice Delirious, count to ten for me?”

“One. Two. Three.” Shaky gasp, both the eyes were gone now. “Four. F-five.” His jaw clenched. He stopped.

Evan grabbed his arm, squeezing gently as his hand accepted the raining water. “Keep going, you can do it.”

“Six. Seven. Eight, nine, ten.” He rushed the words out gasping in and out as I wiped the red from around and on his lips. Before Evan even told him to, he began counting back down. It wasn’t the best way to calm down but with Delirious, it was all he could do. Count. “Ten. Nine. Eight. S-seven.” He kept his eyes closed, Evan humming to him as he turned the water off and grabbed the towel hanging on the rack beside them. He wrapped it around the bigger man’s shoulders. “Six. Five. Four… T-three. T…two. One.” He let out a big sigh, Evan unlocking his hands from the rings so he could dry himself slowly with the towel, eyes still closed.

“Are you alright?” Evan asked. He received a small nod, eyes blinking open only to stare at the floor. He didn’t say a word and Evan took one of his cuffed hands loosely. As soon as he started leading Delirious, the bigger man tightly locked their fingers, a hold that Evan didn’t think he’d find himself out of very easily. Delirious slid on a new pair of pants and sat down on the bench in front of one of the mirrors, blinking hatefully at his bare face. He obediently slipped his hands into the fresh level three strait jacket, hugging his chest in that familiar positioning as his caretaker did up all the buckles, locking him in place and confining him once again.

Retrieving the face paints and lipstick, Evan stood in front of his patient and wiped his face with the towel, drying little droplets so he had dry skin to paint on. He rested his eyelids shut, his lips pulled down in a sad frown. In a few seconds, the brunette’s phone was playing jumpy music on a low volume, something for the guy to focus on other than the silence. Resting three fingers on his jaw, Evan began slowly dabbing white paint over his eyelid and curving the oval over his eyebrow and just above his cheekbone. He did the same on the other side, filling it in with a thick layer before drawing out the wide white grin, just up to the edges of his lips.

The paint dried onto his skin, excess crumbling like dust on his pants, and Evan began doing thin lines to outline the edges of the white patches with red and green, not over doing it, but just enough to make it look clown-like and pristine. He dipped a thin brush in green and swiped it down from the top of his eyebrow over his eyelid and stopping just below his eye. He did the same for the other side before getting the red lipstick and painting around his lips, up into a grin with two circles topping the ends. He carefully filled in the man’s dry lips, finishing the face of Delirious.

He stepped away to the side, allowing the man to blink his eyes open and study himself in the mirror. Evan closed everything up, rinsed the brushes in the sinks and zipped up his bag. When he stood he found Delirious pushing up against his body, head falling on the brunette’s shoulder.

“I can’t,” Delirious grunted, wriggling his arms in discomfort as they were pinned between the two of them, “hug you.” His voice was low and sad, genuinely upset by the fact that he was unable to hug the man for doing his makeup and helping him back to himself.

With a small laugh, Evan wrapped his arms around the man’s shoulders, drawing a little contented sound from the patient. He let his arms fall after a few long seconds and Delirious grinned over his shoulder, drawing back and pressing a kiss to his cheek again, just the same as yesterday.

“Delirious!” Evan whined, glancing at the big red splotch on his cheek. The man cackled, shuffling back away from Evan to sit back down. The Asian man rolled his eyes, turning to Bryce and Ohm who were making very slow progress. But progress. “Think you got it?” Bryce looked up and smiled weakly, nodding with slight reluctance. He was determined to work with Ohm whether the mysterious man accepted that or not. “Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow then, give me a shout if he doesn’t behave.”

Then the two were gone, Delirious’ laugh floating in the air as the door shut the two of them in together. Bryce was doing alright at keeping his cheeks a normal pale colour, but Ryan was definitely persistent and his flirting was definitely doing things to his head… and undoubtedly, his dick.

So far, the jacket was on at least, his arms were in his sleeves. Just had to do the buckles and chains and they could go; but Ohm’s firm stare and smirk followed Bryce’s every movement and it was very hard to focus on making sure everything was tight enough and in the right place.

“Are you a virgin, Brycey?” he purred as Bryce pulled his sleeves to his back. The boy swallowed, doing the two big buckles up successfully before coming back round to the front of the bunny-eared man. The ears had gone back on as soon as his hair was dry.

He got started on the buckles at forearms but Ohm wouldn’t stop shifting and wriggling. “I really don’t think my sex life has any importance to you,” Bryce said as evenly as he could. Ohm laughed, deep in his throat, a smirk in his lips.

“It is when I’m going to be a part of it.” Bryce sucked in a breath, choking on it in his throat as Ohm chuckled.

The blonde coughed his throat clear, cheeks burning as he kept his eyes on the buckle, threading the leather through with shaky fingers. He nearly poked the metal through before Ohm tugged his arms apart and the leather slipped out. Bryce shoved a hand against the man’s chest, flustered and impatient, and pushed him flat back against the wall behind him.

“What will it take for you to stop talking and be still so I can get this done and take you back,” he snapped, putting an edge in his voice that did nothing but make the maniac laugh.

Unhidden eyes slid up, twisting his mouth in a thoughtful smirk as he genuinely thought about what he wanted in order for his compliance. His eyes slid back to the fiery baby blues of the tall boy in front of him. “Maybe you could do something with that tongue of yours; I bet you have enough talent to shut me up,” he taunted, leaning forward against the hand that was still on his chest.

Bryce refused to be affected by his words, throwing all fucks out the window as he shoved him back again, following him and crushing his lips against Ohm’s smirk. His free hand shot around to the back of his patient’s head, gripping his hair and tilting his head, tongue diving in to dance with that of the very amused, very satisfied man. For several moments, Bryce used his “talent” and silence filled the bathrooms, his hands briefly forgetting their task as Ohm moaned lightly into his mouth, sending blood rushing between his legs. Bryce sucked on Ohm’s bottom lip, dragging it through his teeth.

The blonde pulled back, dropping his eyes to the last two buckles and yanking the leather through the buckles tightly, breathing heavy. He grabbed the piece of grey ribbon, shifting around behind Ohm and tying it over his eyes. The patient still had a smirk on his kiss-bruised lips, very satisfied but silent. He let himself be chained, and crippled, and didn’t say a word as he was lead back to his room, Bryce walking strong and quick until he was giving Ohm a push into his room and leading him over to the wall where the collar hung.

The patient stretched his head up, giving Bryce all the room he needed to tighten the leather around his neck before stepping back and glaring down at him. “I know what you’re trying to do and even though I enjoyed that, I am not that easily manipulated, _Ohm_ ,” he snapped, stubborn and irritated. “Get some sleep.” And with that he turned and slammed the door shut behind him, leaving Ohm to kick his feet up on the bench and smirk to himself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter does contain a decently gruesome scene - you have been warned. It's not overwhelming but there is gore.
> 
> gi

The door squeaked open and Delirious watched it hatefully. “You’re twenty minutes late,” he pouted, childish tones in his voice. “Evan I don’t like when you’re late, I need my medi-”

“I’m not Evan and I had things to do,” a woman’s voice spat. Her tone was coated in sour jabs, nasty and disgusted. The door shut behind her and she slapped on all four of the big lights. Delirious cringed, squinting. He did not like the sound of this.

The blonde woman plonked down in Evan’s seat, brown eyes looking over him with obvious revolt. Her eyes were dull and ugly. Her eyes shouldn’t be allowed to look at him like that. “What is with that stupid makeup? Are you some sort of party entertainer?” He pinched his lips together, irritation swelling in his stomach. He tucked his feet up beneath him and turned around completely, facing the hook the chain to his collar was attached to. He was going to be a child. He only listened to Evan. “Are you ignoring me? What the fuck is even wrong with you.” She took a few moments to study the identification sheet. “9.1 my ass, you look like the biggest pussy here. You wouldn’t be able to do damage without a strait jacket. Is this all some big joke?”

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

_Delirious!_

_Jonny you should kill her!_

_Delirious she shouldn’t be her, get rid of her!!_

Swinging one leg off the chair, he pushed the button by the base of the wall. It would send three beeps to Evan’s walkie and let him know Delirious wanted him. Hopefully he would be able to remove the awful bitch when he came.

“What was that? Why did you call the button?” she demanded.

“Where’s Evan?” he asked, turning to her and looking at her calmly. He wriggled in his jacket, ideas forming. “He usually takes off the collar in the mornings. I get a nasty rash and if it gets left on, Evan gets in big trouble for forgetting. I can already feel it itching…” The lies spilt from his mouth like poison and he didn’t bat an eye in regret. He didn’t know what that was anymore.

_Kill her._

_She’s a hag. She’s nasty and she looks at you like you’re filth._

_She’s sitting in Evan’s chair._

_She has Evan’s equipment._

_Evan. Evan. Evan._

_Kill the replacement._

“I will,” he muttered, replying to his thoughts softly. She didn’t even notice as she looked over her papers before standing and stalking over to him.

She looked him over and he turned his head to expose the buckle, his fingers itching in their sleeves. “You’re a pathetic excuse for a high rank patient. Your caretaker must have terrible judgement, and obviously no sense of intelligence letting you wear that shit on your face.” Without a moment to think, she swiped her hand down his face, wiping the white paint over his nose and smudging the red all over his chin.

He twitched.

_KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL._

He smiled, faking fear in quivering lips and avoiding eye contact. She snorted. “You should be a 1.4 if you ask me. There’s nothing even wrong with you, here.” Her nimble fingers unlatched the leather and he felt it fall away from his neck.

His shy smile pulled back into a snarling grin and he stood, a good foot taller than her. He rolled his neck, cracking it and glaring down at her. She took two steps back. Her lips parted and eyes widened. “Um…”

“You fucked up,” he sneered, before throwing his head back and laughing. His voice was laced with pure insanity and any self-control he harboured shattered in his eyes. No thoughts to Evan, to his jacket, to the room around him. All he wanted was to kill the stupid bitch.

She swallowed, taking steady steps back as she fumbled in her alligator skin handbag. “H-hey there, stop moving or I-I’ll…” Her fingers found what they sought and she tore it out, some electric shock device fumbled in her hand. Unfortunately, for her, it slipped straight through her fingers and Delirious’ boot crushed it before she could even think to grab it. “I-I’ll scream!” she threatened, pointing a thin finger at him as he stalked up, his grin never faltering.

“The moment you scream, the noise detectors will pick it up as a disturbance and all high rank caretakers will get five beeps from their walkie, as well as the room number. It will take approximately two minutes for anyone to stop what they’re doing and make their way here, longer if they’re past the bathrooms or if they’re with their own patients who won’t want them to leave,” the psychopath explained, excitement reeking from his skin. “And if you don’t scream now, you’ll definitely be screaming in twenty seconds. No matter what, when that door opens all they’ll all see that you’re just as ugly inside as you are out.”

Her screech rung in his ears. Fight loud beeps echoed within the offended room and he launched at her. He slammed his foot against her side, her scream cutting short as she gasped in air. She stumbled, clutching her side and he sent his foot directly into her stomach, throwing her backwards to the opposite wall of the room. She fell and caught herself, the five beeps now silent as he could focus on her and the voices screaming and laughing in his head.

_Tear her throat out Delirious!_

_Stain the walls with her blood, Delly!_

_Kill her now, Delirious!_

The moment she was on her feet, his head slammed into hers, connecting it with the concrete wall. He couldn’t even feel it. Nothing but adrenaline burning in his veins and the lust to paint his skin with her blood. He held her against the wall with his body and watched for a moment as she blinked lethargically. She couldn’t keep conscious. She couldn’t stay awake.

Awake or asleep, she would not be alive for long.

_NOW DELIRIOUS!_

_USE YOUR TEETH!_

_KILL HER FOR SITTING IN HIS SEAT!_

_FOR DOING HIS JOB!_

He bent down, shoved his face under her chin and felt her windpipe crush between his jaws, spurting blood all inside and outside his mouth. The life left her eyes but he was far from done. When the door beeped with a swipe card and slowly eased open, he looked up, crouched behind a mess of what was once a body, blood drying over his cheeks, mouth and chin, glazing the concrete like a fresh coat of warm paint.

“Delirious…” Evan stood in the doorway – jaw slack, eyes wide – Bryce by his side.

 

Evan was cursing himself all morning as he made haste down the halls. He had an assignment to complete, something he hadn’t been able to get to while taking full-time care of Delirious and teaching Bryce as much as possible. He had to hand of his patient for the day to some girl he’d never met, who wouldn’t know what medication to give, who wouldn’t know that the lights had to be dim and that everything had to stay where it was, who didn’t know what to do if Delirious started hearing voices again.

He knew he was overthinking things. He knew it was unrealistic and unnecessary. So much could go wrong, nothing would go wrong. He’d be fine for the first two visits without Evan. He’d get the right medication. He’d get the right treatment. He’d be fine.

He found himself in the cafeteria, chose a little secluded table and started filling in the information booklet on the past month of taking care of Delirious. It would likely take two or more hours and if he were lucky he might be able to make Del’s lunch visit.

He put earphones in and got to work.

Thirty minutes in, his walkie vibrated at his hip. Pulling out an earphone, he listened to the three long beeps that resonated from the machine. Delirious was calling him. With a glance at his watch, he shook his head. It would just be his patient wondering where he was and why there was someone else. He didn’t really take kindly to substitutions, Delirious. That’s why Evan tried to be as consistent as possible.

The substitute surely had it all under control.

Within five minutes he was tearing his earphones out as his walkie blared five loud beeps. He snatched up Delirious’ bag and sprinted out of the cafeteria. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. What kind of disturbance would have triggered the alarm? Evan’s thoughts ran wildly. Did Delirious scream? Is he struggling with the voices and she didn’t know how to help? Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

The room was another minute away, and he tore through each hall. Pulling around a corner he crashed into another body, on his feet again in five seconds and pulling Bryce up. The younger one didn’t seem fazed by the crash, but confusion coated his eyes. “Why did I have five beeps and your room number come out?” he asked. “Is everything okay? I thought you’d be in there?”

Evan shook his head. “Come on, I don’t have time to explain. I need to make sure he’s alright.” Yanking at his wrist, Evan launched back into his run, Bryce in hot pursuit. He’d come from Ohm’s room, having been in deep conversation about the origin of the bunny ears and why he wore them when he had the alarm call. He quickly dismissed himself and ran into Evan a minute after.

Evan’s card slipped through the scanner and the door unsealed. He hesitated. Bryce stepped forward and slowly pushed the door open, the lights were far too bright for Delirious’ room. But they sure illuminated why the alarm had gone off.

Delirious was crouched on the other side of a butchery, the assumed substitute no longer recognisable. Her throat had been viciously torn through and her left cheek and right arm had two huge chunks ripped out of them. Bites and teeth marks littered the whole body, blood soaking every inch like a rag doll had just been dunked in a bucket of blood and thrown on the floor.

Evan couldn’t take his eyes away from Delirious. His pupils were miniscule, and his mouth hung slack. His white straight jacket had patches of blooming red flowers, arms still tucked away. But his face. Blood was splattered all over the man’s face, and in his hair, but from his cheekbones down, his skin was coated in blood. The face paint was smudged underneath it all, but the lipstick was no longer visible. His parted lips showed red-stained teeth and his tongue never looked so thick and red.

He didn’t take his eyes from Evan’s, chest heaving with exhaustion and obvious adrenaline. He blinked his long lashes, slowly, his brows furrowing as his gaze dropped to the body and then raised to meet those brown eyes again.

“E…Evan, I-I’m sorry.”


	6. Chapter 6

“What tha fuck happened ‘ere?” Daithi’s thick accent floated to Bryce and Evan. Neither responded to the Irishman and he huffed, storming the last few metres to where they stood in the doorway. He was just about to growl at them for leaving the door open and triggering the alarm until his eyes caught on the red mess within the room. “Shit…” he cursed, and grabbed Bryce and Evan by the shoulder. “Step back, you can’t go near him. When Tyler gets here, he and I can grab him and shackle him back up until the proper security gets he-”

Evan didn’t even glance in his friend’s direction as he lifted his hand off and walked tenderly through the doorway. “Delirious?” he spoke softly, crouching down with his bag and looking at the schizophrenic from the same level. He tried not to look at the corpse between them. “You did not have your pills this morning, did you?”

He slowly shook his head. “She… she looked at me like I was filthy,” he murmured with a shaking voice. “I lied to her and she believed me… She… she took off my collar… They told me to do it, they said that it was right.” The words tumbled from his slack jaw. Evan waited patiently. “She sat in _your_ chair, Evan.” His voice hardened. “She sat in _your_ chair with _your_ clipboard and tried to do _your_ job. She deserved this. She smudged my face and called you stupid. She deserved this, Evan. I did what was right, Evan. Didn’t I? Did I do something good, Evan?”

The man fell back onto his butt, legs resting outstretched in the pool of blood. He stared blankly at the younger man, waiting for some kind of response. Some kind of confirmation, congratulation. His eyes were glazed and unfocused, completely lost in his head. Not having his pills was dangerous.

That was clearer to everyone now.

“Delirious you have to take your medication now,” Evan told him calmly pulling out three bottles from the bag hanging on his shoulder. Delirious flinched. “They’re talking to you, aren’t they?” He nodded, jaw still slack. “They’re telling you not to take the medication?” Nod. “You cannot listen to the voices, Del. They tell you to kill me, don’t they? You don’t want to do that, do you?” He shook his head, blinking again and looking at Evan.

_Don’t listen to him Delirious!_

_Don’t take the pills!_

_He wants to get rid of us!_

The caretaker stood calmly and walked very slowly around the body to the other side of Delirious.

_Kill him, Delirious! He doesn’t understand!_

“I’m going to sit here, okay? Then you’re going to take the three pills I give you. Two for your schizophrenia and one to fight the side effects, alright?” Each statement he said, Evan waited for his confirmation. He waited to watch if he were following what was being said. He made sure Delirious was on the same page as himself. He held out the three pills and hummed softly to the delirious man, trying to add some sort of background noise. Without looking back, he spoke to Bryce, “Play some busy music softly for me.” In five seconds, an old song filled the room, soft enough to not be paid attention but loud enough to fill the space of silence. Delirious watched him, still looking like a sad child. “Swallow them one at a time, got it?” Nod. Open mouth. One dropped in, swallow. Two dropped in, swallow. Three dropped in, swallow. “That’s it Del, can you stand up?”

A tear fell from the schizophrenic’s eye. “I want… to hug you,” he whispered, voice breaking into a sob. “Can you take the jacket off so I can hug you, Evan? I want to protect you from them. They want to hurt you, I can’t let them hurt you.” Evan stood and hooked his hands under Delirious’ arms, pulling him slowly to his feet. The man sobbed loudly. “I’m not allowed to hug you, am I?”

“I have to clean you up Del, so you can hug me afterwards, okay? Are you hurt at all?” He shook his head but calmed noticeably at the knowledge he would, in fact, be able to hug his caretaker.

_You have to **kill** him, Jonathon!_

_You have to!_

_Get rid of him!_

_Get rid…_

The voices slowly faded, the music’s volume rose, closer to the madman who blinked his way back into present time. Evan was stood in front of him, watching him with tender eyes, a hand on his clothed arm.

Delirious’ lip trembled. “I… I think I’m… I…” He turned on the spot and threw up the ground, crouching slightly with the force the sickness threw him with. The smell of blood stained the music that floated in his ears and the stench of his vomit mingled with it.

“You’re okay, Delirious, we’ll go get you clean and dry and comfortable. You’ll be okay, you can’t hurt anyone now. They can’t hurt anyone.” Evan’s voice spoke above the music, his words washing the blood from the walls of his mind.

 

The water was warm where he laid, squeezed into a bath tub full to the brim with pink water. Evan sat on a stool just beside him, using a cloth to wipe away the blood from his cheeks. He tipped the little bucket of water over the back of the murderer’s head, washing the shampoo from his hair along with droplets of accusatory blood.

Delirious had dozed off after two minutes in the warm water and Evan was taking his time to carefully wash him without waking or disturbing him. Music still played, echoing around the room. He rinsed the cloth, watching the blood darken the water around him.

“You shouldn’t be so close to him, nor should you be so trusting.” The door closed behind Daithi and the tall man took a seat on the bench a few metres to the right of the bath. “He doesn’t even have cuffs on. You don’t know how dangerous he is.”

Evan glanced back at his friend before returning his gaze to Delirious whose make up came off at the touch of the cloth. “He’s fine. He’s had his medication,” he said, flat and blunt. Daithi didn’t know how Delirious could be. “I’ve been taking care of him for two months now. He’s had plenty a chance to kill me, and I know his schizophrenia makes him want to. He won’t.”

He let out a sound of disapproval but didn’t protest any further. Delirious let out a drowsy giggle, twitching in his sleep. Evan smiled lightly.

“Alrighty Del,” he spoke, hand on his patient’s shoulder to lightly shake him from his nap. Big blue eyes blinked open and he smiled lightly. Looking over his shoulder, Delirious caught eyes with Daithi and grinned. He knew how fond the Irishman was of him and knew that he didn’t trust him in the slightest. The schizophrenic loved to toy with his distrust.

Daithi stood. “Either way, I came to let you know the big guys decided he’s been ranked up.” Evan’s lips tightened. “He’s now a 9.3. You know what happens if he gets any higher, Ev.” A few moments later and the bathroom door was shut, the water draining as Evan helped the clean-faced man stand and dry himself.

Any patient that has a rank of 9.5 and higher is considered too dangerous and unpredictable to be trusted in a room with a caretaker and they’re relocated to split rooms where they can be spoken to behind a bulletproof glass barrier. That way there’s complete elimination of risk for the caretakers to hold. When it comes to bathing, two caretakers have to take the patient, while they’re hobbled, and be armed for safety.

Evan knew Delirious did not need that. He also knew Delirious would not be able to handle that. He would be driven past recovery which would bump him up even further and probably have him killed. Once a patient loses their humanity, they are only alive to be dangerous.

But the way that body was mangled. The way that he killed her in less than two minutes with his jacket buckled, using his teeth to tear through her like a tiger killing for sport.

Evan shuddered as he collected the face paints.

Only he could properly control the mental patient. Only he could get into his mind and stop him from completely losing it. Most likely the whole building was aware of the change. That level of unpredictability was not to be taken lightly. He was going to be feared even further, and known better among the other patients.

Evan would be known as a man with a death wish and likely not thought to be capable of protecting himself. Not that it matter, the only thing that would bother him would be the worry from his friends.

Delirious watched his caretaker think as he pulled on his pants and finished drying his hair and face. He watched his features closely, the way his brows were just slightly pulled together, and the way he nibbled on the inside of his bottom lip. The way his eyes moved slowly, tracing the cracks in the tiles up the walls.

_Kiss him Delirious._

_Make his lips yours!_

_Make his **body**_ _yours._

The patient furrowed his brows, eyes on the brunette’s lips in wonder. His voices had never said that before. His mind had never been so attentive to how Evan looked when he thought. He thought about pushing the man against the tiled wall, kissing and marking him, making him his and his alone. He thought about Evan tugging at his hair, all hot and bothered with Delirious’ lipstick smudged over his own.

He thought about how he could use his lips and tongue to make Evan say his name.

He thought about how he used his teeth to kill that woman, to paint his floor with her blood. He thought about how Evan looked at him when he saw the blood on his lips. How he studied the bite marks and chunks of meat he’d torn off her body in a frenzy. He’d wanted to taste more of her blood in his mouth, wanted her to be the only thing he tasted for a week. A reminder of what he’d done to the awful woman, how he’d proven her wrong and punished her for making fun of him and his Evan.

Now it was a reminder of how Evan looked at him – that iron taste that had imprinted on the insides of his cheeks. The taste that told him he was two points from being confined, locked away and never able to touch Evan again. Never be able to have him do his makeup. Never have Evan’s fingers dropping the pills into his mouth. Never be able to smudge his lipstick over Evan’s cheek, or his lips.

Delirious stepped up to Evan, who blinked out of his thoughts and looked to his patient. “All dry?” Del nodded, grinning. Evan smiled.

_I like his smile._

_What else could he do with those lips?_

_Let’s make him do more with his mouth than smile, Delly!_

Evan frowned slighting, noticing how distracted Delirious was. “Everything okay, Delirious?” he asked. “Are the voices back?”

The patient sat down on the bench, nodding cheerily with a grin still on his face. His thoughts were pleasant for once in a while. The voices gave him more enjoyable situations. Ideas of how Evan would look underneath him. How he’d sound when Delirious left marks up his neck. How his nails would scratch down Delirious’ arms, and leave hot burning lines down his back.

Evan watched Delirious’ expression closely. The voices were back but he didn’t seem bothered. “What are they saying? Are they telling you to do things?” Evan prodded, starting on the makeup. He didn’t think anything was directly wrong with how content the man looked, but he still wanted to make sure of his current level of sanity.

Delirious started to laugh, but stopped himself in fear of messing up Evan’s painting. “Good things,” was all he said, not wanting to bring Evan in on his ideas. He didn’t want to weird the man out while he had time to think. No, he wanted to catch him when he didn’t expect it and kiss him so hard he would only think to return the favour. But he had to be careful…

Evan nodded slowly, although unseen by Del’s painted eyes. “Alright, if you need extra medication to shut them out, just let me know, okay?” He hummed in agreement and Evan continued doing the face painting in silence. As he moved on to Delirious’ mouth, the patient opened his eyes and watched him. He watched the concentration written into the way is bit his tongue, lips parted slightly.

And when Evan did up his jacket, the man wriggled a bit more than he usually would. When Evan took his back to his room, he walked closer that he had a few days before. When Evan locked him up, he placed another kiss on his cheek, growing fonder of the way confusion and curiosity lit up his eyes as he didn’t mention it and said goodbye.

And when he was left alone, he wriggled his arms in their sleeves, grinning when he discovered they were done a hole or two looser. When he slipped his elbows out of the sleeves, pulling his hands around onto his chest, he let out a giggle. When he replaced his arms in their place, he let the laugh burst from his chest, echoing among the walls of the room, and grinning as they cackled back.

The next few hours he spent thinking; listening to his voices who replaced the “ll” to “ss” in kill, fidgeting with the sleeves at his back until his fingers found a loose thread. When Evan fed him fish for dinner, he played with the string within his sleeves, not removing the grin from his face until he drifted off to sleep, his finger poking out of the little hole he’d formed where he’d unpicked string that sewed the sleeves shut. And even then, his dreams were full of grins and laughter and his room still smelt like the blood he tasted on the roof of his mouth.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting to the good stuff <3

“You can’t be serious.” Tyler slammed both his hands down on the table, glaring into Evan’s eyes. The Asian man continued to sip his drink as his friend angrily sat across from him. “I will not let you be in charge of Jonathon anymore, he’s completely unpredictable! He shouldn’t even be below 9.5 at this point. Evan, you cannot be in there alone with him every day!”

Bryce shifted in his seat beside Evan, having met Tyler a few days earlier. “He knows what he’s doing, Tyler,” the blonde said timidly, wanting to stand up for his friend but a slight bit intimidated by the other man’s fury.

“No,” Tyler growled, “he doesn’t, because he’s still sitting around spoon-feeding a psychotic lunatic who is bound to be painting the walls with this dick’s blood tomorrow. You’re insane, you know that?”

Evan shrugged. “That’s what I get from taking care of Delirious,” he admitted, not agreeing or disagreeing to his angry friend.

Daithi strode up to the table, taking a seat beside Tyler with what seemed to be a permanently disapproving frown set in his lips. “I have to agree with Tyler here, Ev. Delirious is just too far gone now,” he muttered, his accent thick in his quiet voice. Evan leant back in his chair.

His friends had been butchering him since the incident all yesterday and from the moment he’d gotten to the building at eight thirty that morning. His morning visit to Delirious was at ten and he had come early to finish of his incomplete assignment, only to be bombarded by his co-workers and friends.

He let out a soft sigh, placing his pencil down. “It may not look like it, but I know what I’m doing guys. I know Jonathon better than anyone and I know he won’t hurt me.” Tyler groaned loudly, Daithi sighed and Bryce offered a weak smile. Not even he looked very confident. “Just trust me.”

 

The moment Delirious woke, stiff as usual, he got to work. He had forty minutes until Evan would bring breakfast and not much time to get to work on his plan. It had to be perfect or he’d be getting himself and Evan in a lot of trouble. He was risking his rank here, but for him and the voices he listened to: it was one hundred percent worth it.

After about twenty minutes, he was wriggling his right arm out of its sleeve, putting it in under his jacket and using it to ease his other arm out. He hadn’t tried to remove his jacket in months, and now the jacket was loosened only slightly, “only slightly” was all he needed. His fingers were nimble and quick with undoing the collar around his neck and reaching up to undo the buckles that held his jacket awkwardly over his shoulders. He slipped it off, dropping it on the bench. The grin of his face reeked excitement.

He stood, slowly unfurled his body and stretched his arms up, feeling his spine pop. He bounced over to the light switches by the door, dimming them down as much as he could without it being hugely noticeable. He didn’t want Evan to instantly notice he wasn’t chained because of the brighter lights, plus they hadn’t been fixed since that bitch changed them. With nicer lighting, he happily sat himself down to the side of the door and waited, watching the clock’s big hand from across the room slowly make its way from the number 8 to the 12.

He stood and resorted to leaning against the wall as he waited and listened. After several long moments, the swipe of a card on the other side of the wall emitted a little positive beep before the door eased open. Evan stepped into the room, bag in hand, and frowned in surprise, and confusion at the empty chair. Delirious stepped up, surprisingly agile despite the amount of time since he’d used his arms. He yanked the man towards him, saying a small, “I’m sorry, Evan,” and cracking the back of the Asian man’s head against the concrete wall, sending him crumpling to the ground, out cold, before he could say “Delirious”.

 

When the brunette was dragged back into the conscious land, he lay still for a few moments, identifying where he was from what he could feel. There was some sort of flat surface he was lying on, his legs hanging off the edge, bent at the knees. The air was slightly cold and had a faint smell of blood hanging off it, and the lights were dim and soft above his eyelids. A slight throb made itself present at the back of Evan’s head and he vaguely remembered seeing Delirious’ face and hearing his voice before everything blacked.

He’d been unchained.

Shit.

His eyes snapped open and he forced away any fatigue left in his system. He pushed himself up to sit, coming face to face with Delirious who was, as remembered, without his jacket or collar. Evan didn’t know how much time had passed, and his mind instantly jumped to the medication his patient needed, along with the breakfast he’d bought with him.

“Delirious did yo-” He didn’t even get to voice his concerns. Before he could blink, his words were swallowed by Delirious’ lips, two strong hands latching onto his hips and yanking him to the edge of the table. His eyes widened, taking a few long seconds to realise Delirious was kissing him quite comfortably, his eyes closed and lips moving with inexperience, but determination.

By the time he realised he should be pushing him back or pulling away, Delirious had already disconnected and was grinning at him with sparks in his eyes. “I ate the breakfast you brought, and took the three pills you always give me, two for my schizophrenia and one for the side effects,” he recited, voice extra cheerful. He seemed extremely proud of himself and, despite his extremely strange and slightly violent actions, he seemed as close to being in his right mind as usual. Affectionately, he swooped in a pressed another chaste kiss to his caretaker’s lips.

Evan’s lack of reaction to his words had Delirious’ smile faltering. He reached up a hand to back of his head, brushing his fingers over the small bump left there. “I’m so sorry about hurting you, Evan. I didn’t want to. But I didn’t want you to freak out or react badly if I surprised you when you walked in! You understand, don’t you?” he said, completely ignorant to Evan’s blurred thoughts.

The man was still struggling to catch up with what was going on. “Delirious, h-how did you get out,” he stammered, glancing at the unbuckled, discarded strait jacket on the floor. Delirious laughed loudly, grinning from ear-to-ear.

The fact that Evan expected a straight answer was probably irrational, although nothing in his thoughts was rational at the current time. Even still, he did not expect his lips to be smothered once more, Delirious pulling his body against his own and tilting his head slightly. “You have to forgive me,” the schizophrenic mumbled, paying no mind to Evan’s lack of movement while he kissed him. He seemed mighty content with being able to kiss him at all, not caring for whether his affection was returned. “I don’t have much experience with this.” He peppered Evan’s lips with little kisses, even nipping at his bottom lip. “I just _really_ wanted to kiss you, ever since yesterday. And they were right too: your lips are very kissable.”

As if to provide evidence of his approval, he locked his lips onto Evan’s once more, sucking on his bottom lip like a child sucking on a lolly he’d been waiting the whole day to get his tongue on.

Evan blinked rapidly, confusion swelling in his mind but warmth spreading in his cheeks and stomach. Easing to hands up, he pushed Delirious back, breaking him away. Although his abrupt surprise, he did not want to piss the patient off, or change his mood too quickly. A happy Delirious was a calm Delirious.

“Delirious, what are you doing?” he asked, keeping his voice calm.

His patient eyed his lips, still smiling at how he’d already begun marking his partner, lipstick smudged over and around the caretaker’s lips. He barely paid mind to what had been said as he blinked back up at him. “Is there a problem?” he asked, confused but still happy. His fingers grazed down Evan’s cheek, hooking under his jaw and tilting his head up to meet his gaze.

The Asian man’s cheeks flushed, unsure of what to say when he couldn’t stop himself from glancing down at his patient’s smudged makeup. His lips were slightly swollen, curved with content, and Evan couldn’t explain how or why he suddenly wanted to keep kissing the schizophrenic. “N-not really, I’m just…” he trailed off slightly, swaying forward a touch, and raising his eyes back up to the baby blues, “a bit confused…” he murmured.

Delirious laughed, kissing his cheek lightly before grinning at him and leaning in. His nose brushed Evan’s cheek, lips just barely touching his as they moved around his words. “I’ll try make it a bit clearer. I _really_ want to kiss you, and I think you’d be happier too if you kissed me,” he murmured, voice low. Evan swallowed.

He knew it was one hundred percent not okay for a caretaker to have any sort of romantic or sexual relationship with a patient, especially a high ranked one. Delirious was, well, he was delirious and the fact that he was growing some sort of infatuation towards Evan was likely to have bad consequences. Evan had to take control of the situation. He had to stop anything bad from happening and secure Delirious so he couldn’t get out and do the same thing again.

With that in mind, Evan’s hands slipped up around the back of Delirious’ head and he linked his ankles behind Delirious. Throwing his last care out the window he yanked Delirious down, stealing the grin from his lips and moulding their lips together.

Delirious wasn’t wrong when he said he lacked experience, their teeth knocking and lips moving awkwardly. A huff left Evan’s lips as he tugged his fingers through unkempt hair. He pressed closer and tilted his head, his tongue dancing with Delirious’. The blue eyed man caught on quickly and his hands slipped down to settle on his butt. Evan jumped as he squeezed, jerking his hips up and unintentionally grinding against Delirious. Unprepared for the friction, Delirious didn’t think to hold back the moan that resonated from the back of his throat.

Evan’s cheeks flushed darker, the sound effecting him in all the right ways, and all the right places.

He was yanked even closer, fitting both their pelvises together as they moved. Delirious occasionally rolled his hips in small circles, lighting sparks within himself and his partner. He locked his arms around Evan’s back, as Evan broke their kiss, and tilted his head up to breathe for a moment, face flushed and heart thumping.

There was no time to say anything as Delirious latched his lips onto his throat. He pressed open mouthed kisses along his tanned skin, nipping at some spots and sucking at others. On the side of his neck, Delirious made short work of sucking, licking and biting a dark bruise in place. Evan had his fingers clenched around hair, eyes closed, lips slack in pleasure while his skin sizzled under the stronger man’s mouth.

Evan’s walkie buzzed and he fumbled for it, half his mind almost asleep as Delirious placed gentle kisses along his jawline. “Evan. Bryce, Brian and I are goin’ to be at the bathrooms in ten, meet us there before we go get lunch or I’ll get Tyler to beat your ass.” Daithi’s voice cut out and Evan cursed internally.

He raised the device to his bruised lips. “I’m kinda busy, you two go along and I’ll meet you at the – fuck,” he released the button halfway through the gasp that left his lips as Delirious sucked on his earlobe. His smirk was felt against his skin as he connected his lips with Evan’s for a few prolonged seconds, Daithi momentarily forgotten before Bryce’s voice interrupted.

“Evan? Everything okay with Delirious?”

Reluctantly, Evan pulled back, regaining his breath lightly before replying with an unsteady, “Yeah, everything’s fine! Just… busy at the moment.” Delirious let out a cackle, aware of how awful of an excuse that was.

“No,” Daithi said sternly. “Meet us in the bathrooms in ten or all three of us will beat your ass.”

Evan grit his teeth, irritated and quite disappointed with the situation. Delirious didn’t bat an eye, kissing him with just as much fever as before, sliding a hand up the back of his shirt to draw circles on the back of his hipbones. “D-Delirious,” Evan mumbled, muffled against his lips. “I have to go, the guys will get mad at me.” His voice betrayed his own irritation in saying the words as he let a hand wander through his hair and lips litter kisses all over his cheek, connecting with his finally for a few long seconds before the patient stepped back and admired his handy work.

Evan looked exactly how anyone would expect after making out with the lipstick covered lips of his patient, and Delirious grinned, drinking in what he’d done. His mind was running, the voices were highly satisfied and he had done what he’d wanted to. Retrieving his jacket, he obediently slipped it on and allowed Evan to do it all up, still caught in a bewildered daze.

Delirious noted that his jacket was still done up tighter than last time, having learnt his mistake, and he let Evan lock the collar around his throat. Those icy blue eyes examined him with a large grin as he collected all of his stuff and slipped it into his bag.

When he was ready to go, he looked back up at Delirious, blinking at him. Ninety percent of his mind was still trying to process what had happened, why and how it happened and what it all meant as he dropped a kiss to Delirious’ cheek this time, murmuring a soft goodbye and shutting the door behind him.

Now he needed to get to the bathroom and wash off all that lipstick before the guys got there.

Unfortunately, he turned and walked right into Brian and Bryce. “What the fuck, Evan? Why do you look like you’ve just made out with a whore?” The Irish accent was only half joking, as Evan stopped dead, wide eyed like a deer caught in headlights.

“And why do you look like that coming out of Delirious’ room?” Bryce asked slowly. Evan paled further, speechless as the two men joined the dots – Brian’s laugh fell like a rock. He did indeed look like he had been making out with a whore. He also fit the description of what someone would be expected to look like after making out with a man with a full face of clown makeup on.

His hair screamed sex, his cheeks were flushed and lipstick was smudged on his cheeks and neck, as well as thickly painted onto, and around, his own lips. He looked like he’d just had the make out session of his life, and he had just walked out of his mental patient’s room. Two events that did not mix very well together for anyone.

Brian’s eyes widened. “Evan, what the fuck just happened?”


	8. Chapter 8

“I-I can explain!” He had lied.

Sitting in the bathroom with the three men sitting around him, all pairs of eyes fixed to his flushed cheeks. He looked like a kid in trouble, but at least he’d had the chance to remove the lipstick smudges. The moment they spotted Daithi, Brian blurted out, “Evan was kissing Delirious!” before smacking his hands over his lips guiltily.

Daithi was less than impressed and Evan had instantly glared at Brian. After cleaning his face and neck, they all stared impatiently.

“I, er…” He didn’t really have anything to say for himself.

Daithi sighed. “Were you kissin’ Delirious?”

“Yes.”

“Did you kiss ‘im willingly?”

“Er, yes?”

“Why?”

His blush darkened and he pressed his lips together.

“What happened?” Daithi tried a different approach.

Evan tried to recall how he got in the situation. “He somehow got out of his jacket overnight. When I stepped in, he tapped my head against the wall and knocked me out. I woke up on the table, he’d taken the correct pills and eaten what I’d brought for him and then I guess he just…” he trailed off, uncomfortable with giving details about what he’d gotten himself into. He knew Bryce definitely wasn’t one hundred percent straight, how he reacted to Ryan’s teasing, but he’d never even considered being into dudes before.

Or he just liked kissing dudes? Or maybe just kissing Delirious…

He had no idea. He did not have time to question his sexuality.

“He kissed you?” Brian asked, disbelief and confusion still sketched into his features. “And then you kissed ‘im back?” Evan nodded, eyes on the tiles at his feet. He felt like a kid in the principal’s office. He’d done something he was told not to do.

“I didn’t want to shut him down in case he got upset, especially since he was completely free to do anything. He was pretty happy… doing what he was doing and he’s calmer when he’s happy. I didn’t particularly want to… ruin his mood?” Evan didn’t even sound sure to himself, but he technically wasn’t lying at all. He was just refraining from telling them how he wanted Delirious to mark him up and make him moan.

Glancing up shyly, he noticed Daithi’s eyes were glued to the hickey on the side of his neck, almost shining from his skin with pride. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the odd expressions on his friends’ faces, head falling into his hands as the silence piled weight onto his shoulders.

“Come on,” he muttered, standing after a few moments of unbearable silence. “Let’s go get Tyler to yell at me and call me a dumb gay fuck so I can go eat some lunch.”

The three followed as he left, Brian and Daithi exchanging concerned looks, Bryce trailing behind in silence.

 

Evan stared at the stains on the table, taking little bites out of the apple in his hand as Tyler took in the information Daithi passed to him, quiet and reserved so other cafeteria-goers couldn’t hear. Tyler chewed on his biscuits in thought, staring his friend down across the table – well, down further. He didn’t look mad though.

“I mean, he does still have sex hair,” he pointed out, tossing another biscuit in his mouth. Evan groaned, running his hands back and forth in an attempt to ruffle it up and then pat it down. Tyler leaned forward, unable to hide his smirk. “You’re making it worse,” he whispered and Bryce pulled out a beanie from his bag.

Evan threw him a grateful glance, tugging it on over his crazy hair and accidently meeting Tyler’s gaze.

“You fucked up,” he admitted, swallowing his biscuit and nibbling on the last one. “And knowing you, you’re going to go back at two-thirty and fuck up a little more, and probably fuck up again tonight at six. It’s just whether or not you keep your activities to his room and between you, and if you continue doing your fucking job.”

Evan sighed softly. “Your advice always has been from the heart, Tyler. Always knowing what’s best,” he muttered viciously, hateful to the fact that he was digging his own grave and Tyler knew it better than he did.

“Am I wrong?” he queried.

“Of course you’re not.”

He never was.

 

“Hey Evan!” Delirious had the voice of joy and affection the moment Evan walked through the door. That is, the moment he walked in after standing outside for two minutes, running over how he’d talk to his patient and what he’d say to him to tell him they couldn’t kiss and do that sort of stuff or they’d both be in trouble. The rehearsed lines washed out of his system as he perched himself on the edge of the table, opening the little container of fruit he brought to satisfy the schizophrenic’s hunger.

“Hi Delirious, how are you feeling?” His voice softened massively compared to the voice he used in his mind.

The words he had thought over, mouthed and whispered as he’d walked extra slow to Delirious’ room; they all jumbled together, no longer existing in his mind as Delirious shuffled to sit upright in his chair, shifting his legs to the side so Evan could rest his foot on the edge of the plastic. That way he could comfortably lean forward and place grapes into the mouth that marked Evan’s neck as his territory.

As he chewed, his eyes drifted to his work. He held a smirking grin, proud and satisfied. “Fantastic,” he told Evan, leaning forward in his chair to catch the pieces of apple and strawberry that were dropped into his mouth – chewing, swallowing, grinning. He ate happily for a few minutes, chewing his fruit as he chewed up their time together, swallowing it all. He answered the questions Evan asked, letting him know of the pleasant lack of voices and how he’d dozed off after Evan had left and didn’t dream, just slept.

The words rested on the tip of Evan’s tongue: “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let you kiss me.” “I want to kiss you but I can’t.” “I’m not allowed to have any further relationship with you.” “I could get given a new patient.” “I don’t want this to hurt you.”

They didn’t fall. Instead, he swallowed them like grapes and settled on Delirious’ lap, lips locked. One arm was bent around the back of his patient’s neck, the other tangled in his hair.

Bliss was the only thing Evan could feel. He felt it flowing in his veins. He breathed it in in short sharp gasps when Delirious’ teeth left love bites along the top of his shoulder, adding another two hickeys to the first. He tasted it on Delirious’ tongue and lips. He bit into it and swallowed it down without a second taste.

They kissed, and kissed, until his lips went numb, Delirious slightly irritated by the fact that he couldn’t hold the man on his lap. The way he couldn’t cup his ass, or run fingers through his hair. The way he couldn’t pull him into a fierce kiss by his jaw.

But he put up with it without complaint, making the most of what he could until Evan was leaving with new marks that claimed him and light lipstick smudges tinting his lips slightly too dark for a natural tone. He settled back, closing his eyes to the sweet silence in his mind and smiled.

Brian caught Evan in the bathroom, washing lipstick off his shoulder and just shook his head. “Do what you want, Evan, but don’t drag yourself into a hole if you won’t be able to crawl out,” he told him.

They didn’t mention it again that day, nor did the guys mention Evan’s split lip, kiss-bruised and bitten maybe a touch too hard. They didn’t mention it, but they did notice. What they didn’t notice was the way Bryce’s lips were also a tinsy-bit  bruised, and how his eyes didn’t leave the table top, and his mouth never opened to speak other than a little “goodnight” as he headed off early to get to his little home.

 

“Shut the fuck up,” Bryce muttered without the slightest bit of seriousness as Ohm chuckled lowly. The blind-folded patient bit down on the fork, slowly dragging the piece of meat off and chewing it. He ate slowly, a smirk on his face. He could feel Bryce’s discomfort. He knew the boy was likely caught up in the way he was eating, and made sure to lick his lips slowly.

He adored his new caretaker. The cute twenty year old had the perfect level of innocence that amused the psychopath, bringing him constant entertainment. He would either fluster, seduce or make the boy uncomfortable in another way. They were all just as enjoyable as each other, but when it came to seduction, he always got a bit more out of it.

He pulled the next piece of juicy chicken off the fork along with some rice, moaning throatily at the delicious taste. He heard Bryce shift in discomfort and chewed in satisfaction. He was soon finished with the meal and sat back with a smirk. The little sounds of Bryce packing away the food was all he focused on, thinking about the long fingers and gentle manner of the tall boy.

“Brycey,” he purred, rolling his tongue. The blonde glanced at him, still unnerved by his leering smirk. The hardest thing about taking care of Ohm was his incessant flirting. He was almost constantly trying to seduce Bryce to either letting him have more freedom, or just for the sake of a bit of fun.

More times than not, Bryce ended up unclipping the collar and letting Ohm push him back on the bolted chair, grinding down on him while claiming the boy’s lips and tongue as his. He loved to nip especially, leaving behind a small sting to remember when Bryce walked among his co-workers, hiding the little dark marks beneath his shirt or a scarf.

Ohm had Bryce twisted around his little finger. “Why don’t you let me mark-up that pretty neck of yours?” Bryce had to bare his teeth to hold in his heavy breathing. “If it’s because you don’t want anyone to see, I have a compromise?” Bryce shuddered as Ohm placed little butterfly kisses down his collar, stopping at the hem of his shirt. He leaned in close, breath rinsing over his neck and shoulder. He slid his tongue up the silent boy’s jawline. “I could mark-up your thighs instead.”

Bryce let out a breathy sigh at that, but placed a hand on his patient’s shoulder. It was getting harder and harder for him to stop himself from unbuckling the man completely and letting him do whatever he wanted to his younger caretaker. “No Ohm, not today,” he forced out, composing himself and allowing Ohm only to draw him into a strong, heated kiss before he had to finish up and leave. The collar rested back in place on his neck and he gathered his bag. “Goodnight Ohm.”

“Sweet dreams, Sugar.”


	9. Chapter 9

Delirious faltered when Evan took his seat across the table. It was the first time in the past three days he hadn’t perched on the edge of the furniture. Delirious liked it when he sat there; he was closer and easier to coax into kisses.

With a table in between, it made it far more difficult.

Still, he shook out his concerns and let a smile pull at his features again. “Hello Evan!” He beamed, eyes sparkling. Evan’s stayed on the table as he emptied his bag. He drew out the pills, gathering the correct ones and setting them aside while he retrieved Delirious’ breakfast.

“Good morning,” he said softly, eyes unfocused as he took his place on the edge of the table.

Delirious’ smile wasn’t as big as he swallowed the pills and ate his breakfast in silence. The moment he was done, Evan was returning to his seat on the other side. Delirious frowned, Evan didn’t make eye contact.

“How are you feeling, Del?” he asked, glancing at the man in question but not letting his gaze linger as he packed away the medication. He kept his eyes down and lips firmly closed. He didn’t smile.

Delirious’ brows furrowed. “What’s wrong, Evan?” he asked, firm and direct. The man didn’t react, zipping up his bag. “Did someone do something? Did someone hurt you?” The schizophrenic’s thoughts churned at the thought of someone laying a hand on Evan with ill intent. He felt his chest bubble.

“No, no, of course not. Nothing’s wrong, I’m just feeling a bit tired today,” the Asian man laughed and Delirious scrunched his nose up at the obvious lie. He didn’t say anything and shrunk back into his shell for the five minutes that Evan hung around for. When he was gone, Delirious was left by himself with frowning lips.

He sighed heavily.

The voices were back.

 

Evan sat down heavily in his seat, Tyler watching him with concern etched lightly into his frown. “What’s wrong?” he asked. Evan just groaned loudly, lightly dropping his head on the table.

Exhaustion was eating him up from inside his chest and filled his body with unbearable lead. He was just so goddamn tired. “I can’t sleep,” he muttered to the tabletop, closing his eyes tightly. “I can’t eat. I can’t think. I can’t function.”

“Is it Delirious?” Tyler asked and Evan raised his head a touch, glaring at him.

“No it is not!” he defended, insulted that he’d assumed he was getting so worked up about his patient. Tyler didn’t say anything, and Evan huffed a sigh. “Okay so maybe it is Delirious, what am I supposed to do about it?” Tyler chuckled. “It’s not funny!”

His friend watched him, head on his hand. “What’s wrong? Just talk to me.”

Always knew what to say.

“I want to kiss him,” he started simply, not caring to filter his thoughts or words as he tried to express himself. Tyler wouldn’t care. “I want him to kiss me. I love it when he kisses me. I want to let him out so he can hold me and kiss me and bite me. But I fucking can’t.”

Tyler shrugged. “Why not?”

Evan lifted his gaze, sitting back in his chair and staring at Tyler. “Because I’m getting too attached and then he’ll get too attached and he won’t understand why I won’t kiss him because he doesn’t understand that I shouldn’t. It’s not just kissing. It’s never just one cigarette when you crave it in every spare moment. It’s an addiction.”

Brian appeared behind Tyler, plonking himself down and grinning between them. “What’s an addiction?”

“Delirious’ kissing apparently.”

“Makes sense.”

“Guys,” Evan grumbled. “What am I supposed to do?”

Tyler sighed and stood. “Do your job Evan. Look after the guy, make sure he takes all the right medication, make sure he’s well fed and clean. And try to help him back to Earth. Lower his rank below 9.” And with that, the bigger man walked away, dumping his stuff in the bin and exiting the room.

Evan’s head hit the table. He’d spent his sleeping hours of the past few nights stressing and freaking out about the situation. After the weightless feeling Delirious had given him faded away his mind locked on to what he’d done. He told himself he’d say no, and the moment he stepped into the room, his hands were tangled in hair and lips were on his neck.

Of course, it wasn’t completely his fault. He feared that rejecting Delirious may make him react badly and he didn’t want anything else happening after his increased rank. In allowing him to kiss and mark up his caretaker, he was happy and calm. It’s not like Evan was complaining about it either.

It was just the consequences of the situation that scared him. What could go wrong, what could happen and how it would become a downward spiral in seconds – it was inevitable. If authorities found out they’d be split. Evan would have a new patient, Delirious would get a new caretaker. Delirious would be the biggest issue: he’d completely lose it without Evan. He had one substitute fill in for him and within ten minutes she was splattered across the room. With Evan completely removed, Delirious would likely kill someone and be pushed up to a rank higher than 9.5 and locked away in a box.

He’d be locked in there with only himself for weeks at a time, and his voices would tear his mind apart. Then he’d be as good as dead, removed and forgotten.

“It’ll be okay, you know,” Brian told him, nudging the untouched food closer towards the distressed man. “But you won’t be thinking very straight without food or sleep. You need to take care of yourself physically before you can mentally.” He clapped Evan on the shoulder, standing. “Now eat up and go do something to destress before you go see him again.”

I’m not thinking _straight_ either way, he thought to himself but managed a small smile and reluctantly opened his shitty mac and cheese. Left along to think, again. What could he do to destress?

The answer to that was a nap in the breakroom, stealing a couch and opting to drool on the armrest for an hour and a half before his alarm woke him up and forced him back to face kissable lips and sad eyes.

“Delirious,” Evan greeted, striding up to the mental patient. His crystal eyes watched with caution and furrowed his brows as Evan unbuckled his collar. He leant back once free to move, and stared up at his caretaker who grinned. “It’s been a while since we’ve done any art?”

Any caution or worry dissipated on Delirious’ face as his lips pulled back in an excited grin. He _loved_ going to the arts room.

_Or you could make out with him for an hour?_

Delirious was definitely happy to do that too. He stood, almost face to face with Evan who hesitated a moment before spinning and walking over the other side of the room where a large set of draws was contained.

_Guess not then._

Unlocking it, Evan pulled out the necessary chains and Delirious’ eyes fell to the curve of his ass. He obediently allowed him to lock his arms to his ankles and connect a chain to his arms which Evan held. The older man began to almost buzz in eagerness. He always loved visiting the arts room. For one, he got his arms free so he could do little activities and have a bit of freedom to himself. For two, he loved to draw and paint – something he did not do that often.

As they walked, Delirious kept up with Evan as much as he could, his jacket-confined arm bumping his shoulder every few steps. His happiness seeped from his grin with each breath and they soon arrived at the arts room.

The space was big, a number of four large tables spread around the room. There were board games on shelves, and a large range of colours in pencils, pens, crayons and paints. One whole wall was lined with a huge bookshelf, disorganised books scattered among each other with no order. Each was more out of place than the next, fiction and not fiction, picture and non-picture books. All relaxing, leisure time for the patients was spent in that room, but it wasn’t often they were brought through.

Upon entering, they spotted a young girl almost hidden in a beanbag with two picture books on her lap and one open in her hands. An old woman with a blank look in her eyes was drawing squiggles and swirls on paper on a table. Their two caretakers sat on a bench on the side of the room, chatting idly.

Delirious skipped over to one of the empty tables, and turned his back to Evan patiently. The buckles came undone and he slipped the jacket off himself with far too much ease than his caretaker was comfortable with. He immediately started collecting paints and brushes and paper and other little items from the shelves. They clattered on his table and the two sat.

The clown makeup obviously caught attention as one of the caretakers made her way straight to the table. Her strong was firm and determined and Evan sighed, reluctant to deal with whatever she wanted. She glared at him and shot a weary look at his patient. “What do you think you’re doing!?” she hissed, not coming within a metre of the table as she glared Evan down. She whispered almost like she thought Delirious couldn’t hear her. Evan frowned lightly and she nodded at Delirious who was happily splattering paints over thick card, not a second of attention given to the tall girl who looked simultaneously furious and terrified. He was very focused on blending colours and shadows. “You think you can let a 9.3 out in this room without his jacket or proper chains? You haven’t even cuffed him!” Her words were barely above a whisper but the book girl peered over at us from her beanbag.

Evan glanced at the childish man beside him. “How’s he supposed to paint with handcuffs on?” he asked, hiding his amusement behind curious eyes as the woman gawked at him. He smiled lightly. “Thank you for your concerns, Miss, but Delirious is my patient and no matter his rank, he’s quite calm and happy to do a bit of painting and stretch his fingers.”

Her lips curled back, nasty and ugly. “If you don’t cuff him,” – she yanked out a Taser, pointing it at the schizophrenic – “I’ll do it myself _and_ call authorities on you.”

Blue eyes rose from paint and Delirious grinned curiously up at the woman. He was completely unfazed by the weapon pointed at his chest, if not amused. “Well that’s not very nice,” he pointed out, a giggled at his humour. The woman’s expression, although painted with determination, did not hide her fear very well.

Her gaze burnt with offense. Clearly, her lack of intimidation did not impress her in the slightest. She had likely wished to appear to have some sort of authority over him as a caretaker, but Delirious showed no such concern of her and instead blinked at Evan who briefly met his baby blues before addressing the woman once more. He stood and opened his mouth but was beaten to it by someone else.

“Now, sweetheart, I don’t think this is particularly necessary in this situation.” Ohm stood over the woman, hand pushing the brightly coloured defensive weapon down to point at the table. She gasped at his intrusion. Another high ranked patient free from shackles.

Bryce stood behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Ohm,” he said calmly and the patient, still blindfolded, let out a chuckle but stepped back respectfully.

His fluidity in movement despite his lack of sight baffled Evan to no end.

The moment his hand left the woman’s tool, she pointed it straight at Ohm’s chest. Bryce stepped in front of him, hand still on his patient’s wrist to be careful. The blonde looked down at the Taser pointed directly at his heart. “Ma’am, I really don’t think you should be threatening a co-worker unprovoked,” he said calmly, his usual cheer missing in his voice as he stared down at her. “Mr Fong has been given direct permission to have Delirious, under close supervision, free of his shackles and jacket. Do you not think Mr Fong has the capabilities to take care of his own and his patient’s actions?”

Evan watched, eyebrows raised. He was impressed at the young man’s actions and glanced at Ohm who was still grinning. He watched as the bunny-eared man slipped his wrist out of Bryce’s hand, interlocking their fingers instead. The sneaky grin on his lips didn’t falter as he put his head on the blonde’s shoulder in an affectionate, teasing manner.

Bryce fought back his blush and shrugged his patient off, but let their linked fingers hang between him as the woman glanced between all four of them, lowering the Taser reluctantly.

“You should all be locked away in your own cells,” she sneered, viciously shoving the weapon away and glaring. Delirious slid his eyes up, smile dropping in an instant. Evan felt his aura blacken. “You’re irresponsible and uneducated, and clearly too stupid to be in such an important position.”

Delirious’ chair clattered back as he stood, his full height casting a shadow on the woman as he leant over the table, hands flat on the plastic. His eyes were sharp and hateful, and his top lip pulled back to show bared teeth. His expression was chilling, despite his grinning makeup. The woman jumped away. “Watch what you’re saying about us, you damned hoochie,” he growled, his aura murderous. She was already grabbing at the Taser, fear wide in her eyes as he laughed lowly. Bryce noticeably flinched back towards Ohm, the sound tickling Evan’s nerves. The caretaker stood, resting a hand on his back calmly. He didn’t react. “You’re damn lucky I’m hobbled or I’d be over that table crushing your eyeballs in your head.”

Evan squeezed the man’s shoulder, _feeling_ his fury radiate like heat. He could almost hear the voices urging the murderer on in his head. “Delirious,” he said calmly before turning back to her. “I suggest you turn around now and go. We came here to paint and I think that’s what we’ll do.”

She hesitated, lips quivering with words she couldn’t say, before she turned and stormed over to the old lady drawing across the room. Quickly cuffing her, she dragged the oblivious patient from the room and left the four to their own devices. Delirious stood back up straight, catching the other caretaker’s worried gaze for a moment before she hurriedly turned back to the clipboard she was writing on.

“Paint something,” Evan told Delirious who reluctantly sat back down and picked up his brush. Ohm and Bryce took seats across from the two.

Evan noticed that Bryce had made no move to unlink their fingers.

It took a few moments for the fuming patient to calm himself. How dare she insult Evan like that? He was not uneducated or irresponsible. Stupid woman.

“Well that was definitely fun,” Ohm said with a deep chuckle. He nodded at Delirious with a wide grin. “You’re terrifying,” he told the other patient, leaning forward. “I love it.”

Slowly, but surely, all his anger drained from his system and the situation was easily and quickly forgotten, a smirk on the blue eyed man’s lips. Ohm clearly amused him, even if only slightly, but Evan could feel the protective vibe glowing strong from beneath all of his crazy laughter and conversation with his fellow patient. The man had stood up because the woman had insulted him and Bryce. Had she walked away, he probably wouldn’t have batted an eye.

Bryce began listening to music, Delirious and Ohm chatted and painted, and Evan sat back in thought.

Evan didn’t know when or how it happened but sometime during the hour, two of Delirious’ fingers had linked with his, lazy and loose. They hung between them, like they didn’t want to hold on too tight, but couldn’t sit there without touching. He glanced into blue eyes, but returned to staring at the ceiling fan before he got too lost in them. Delirious shifted his chair an inch closer. He noticed the weightless feeling return and curled his fingers a tad bit tighter.


	10. Chapter 10

Delirious moved the paint brush delicately. It slid over the mask with perfect precision, marking out two triangles along the cheek bones and one pointing down on the forehead. His mouth was slightly open as he worked, tongue between his teeth with concentration. His blue eyes hadn’t shifted from the object the moment he’d dipped his brush in red paint.

Ohm was sketching out different body shapes over a large bit of paper, marking in where organs were and where they overlapped. He barely paid attention as his pencil flew across the page, but everything was scarily accurate. Bryce watched as he marked out the placement of kidneys in relevance of the intestine. The light blue eyes were curious and impressed, and Ohm loved the attention.

He couldn’t hide his proud smirk. “I studied medical for a year or two,” he told the boy, making eye contact for a moment without stopping his drawing. Bryce nodded lightly, hearing the words through his blasting music.

Pausing for a moment, Ohm reached around the other side of his caretaker’s head, staring directly into his eyes. Bryce glanced at his lips. Brushing his fingers against the smooth skin of the blonde’s cheek, Ohm leant back and fit the earbud he’d stolen into his own ear with a sly smirk.

Bryce frowned and blinked himself back to earth.

Evan was watching Delirious as he placed the paint brush in the glass of painted water. The little smile on the schizophrenic’s lips. The way he carefully placed the mask aside. The way he instantly began painting on a new piece of card. He watched the image of a face slowly flow from his hand onto the paper, thick paint arching out with shadows and highlights, two eyes half open, brows creased in what looked like worry. The image was far from perfect, slightly out of proportion, too dark in some places, not dark enough in others. But Delirious’ small smile never fell.

The four never spoke, and no one came into the arts room throughout the whole two hours they were there. At one point, Bryce had tugged off Ohm’s bunny ears, fiddling with them and looking over them carefully. He didn’t notice Ohm’s stare, examining the little patched up spaces and parts were the stitching had torn and was messily redone with another colour. The material was worn, but smooth, and the head band they were sewed onto was the same material, thick and padded as to not hurt the wearer.

Cautiously, he slipped them onto his head, the left ear bending at the middle and slightly covering his eye. He crossed his eyes to stare at it and Evan smiled to himself. Bryce was undoubtedly adorable and pleasantly youthful sweet way. He generally seemed to glow, especially when he grinned. Glancing shyly at his patient, he met his watching eyes and laughed at himself. Ohm shook his head with a smile and continued sketching, his bunny ears settled on the table in front of him. He didn’t care to put them on, marking out the figure of what looked like a male child.

Delirious was painting away at his picture, a feminine face with sad eyes and parted, plump lips. She had very tan skin, and long black eyelashes. The liquidity of the white paint used for her eyes was high enough to look like she had tears that refused to drop. The details were imperfect, pretty and simple, although the face was only about as large as his hand.

The mental patient stared at his painting. His eyes were soft, but focused, as they flittered over the page. He examined every detail, each little curve or line. He looked it over, before pushing it up the table and gingerly retrieving his mask. The paint had dried and he gleefully marked out little light circles above the red triangle on the forehead and in the line of a frown below the nose.

Hockey mask.

Evan smiled, leaning back in his chair and grabbing a hole-punch from the shelf behind them. He watched as long, thin fingers pinched and moved the little instrument around the plastic, careful not to straighten out the curved shape.

“I think that’s about enough time,” Bryce said with a yawn. “I want to go nap in the breakroom. Let’s get you buckled up and back to your room.” Ohm stood, finding a shelf of discarded art and placing his pages on top of a messy stack. He allowed Bryce to carefully do up his buckles and chain him. He tied up his blindfold once more, and flashed a cheesy grin to the two still seated. The two left the room, Ohm already speaking lowly, walking just behind him as to not trip or run into anyone.

Delirious stood, carrying his freshly painted face to the drying rack, slotting it into the bottom to retrieve next visit. He grinned at Evan, slotting his hockey mask onto his face and laughing wickedly.

“All you need is a chainsaw and a cabin in the woods to live in and there you go – your perfect horror movie antagonist,” Evan pointed out and the laugh squeezed out from behind the mask. He slid it off, chucking it on the desk and watched as Evan collected paints and brushes.

He pushed up onto his tippy-toes, reaching up to slide the spare pages onto the top shelf. Delirious’ eyes dropped straight to Evan’s hipbones, exposed when his shirt lifted. He hesitated a moment, watching with dark eyes as Evan replaced everything back to where it had come from. He bent down to put the dirty brushes in a bucket and the moment he stood up straight, hands were gripping bruises onto his hips and he was chest to chest with Delirious, lips kissing and biting and sucking at his with a fierce hunger.

He gasped, hands unsure whether to curl around the back of his neck, or push him away like he promised himself he would.

Fuck his promise.

His hand rested on side of Delirious’ neck, the other cupping his jaw to balance himself. Their lips melted together and he was being turned, shuffling back until he was able to be hoisted up and dropped on the edge of the table. Their lips parted only briefly as Evan gasped for air. Kisses were being dropped over his cheekbones and jawline. Each touch was cold on hot and he almost passed out from the unexpected feelings.

“D-Delirious, can’t we get back to your room first!” he panted, feeling fingers slip under the waistband of his underwear at the bottom of his spine. Another hand was crawling up beneath his shirt, mapping out every inch of his skin beneath soft fingers.

The man shook his head lightly, peppering swollen lips with small, loving kisses. “I can’t do this if I’m in a strait jacket,” he murmured against him, hands wandering lower than Evan could handle.

He clenched his jaw, reluctantly stopping Delirious’ fingers in their path. “As much as I want that, we can’t. There are cameras and anyone could walk in. Let me take you back please,” he begged, Delirious barely faltering as he nipped at his jaw, kissing the sting and pressing one last firm kiss to his lips before stepping back.

His eyes studied Evan’s red face, lips swollen and chest heaving. “Fine. But I want to know why you haven’t stepped within a metre of me for longer than fifteen seconds since this morning,” he grumbled. “I want more of this whenever I can.” He sounded like a stubborn child. In some ways he was one. A stubborn, twenty-eight year old child being told he couldn’t go to the park that day because it was too cold.

Evan had nothing to say to him as he tenderly did up his buckles, eyes on the ground as he tried to regain his breath. He wanted to more of “this” too. He wanted so much more, all the time. But he just _couldn’t_. He couldn’t end up losing Delirious, losing his patient. He’d lose those baby blues, and the glint of his ear piercings. He’d lose big hands holding him close, and curious stares wherever he moved. He’d lose tender lips and loud laughter and every little smirk. He’d lose the man completely to his own thoughts and insanity.

Honestly, Evan had no idea when he’d become so emotionally attached his patient. He couldn’t pinpoint the moment he’d picked out what he adored. He couldn’t say how he figured out that without Delirious he didn’t particularly want to work in the building.

His rank didn’t represent him at. His rank represented the voices in his head, or the look in his eyes when he was furious. It didn’t represent his cheerful “Hello Evan!” or his bubbly grin.

“Delirious,” Evan mumbled as he unlocked the hobbling chains from the man back in his room. “Why do you want to kiss me?” He gained all the courage he had, looking up into the gentle eyes. They were scarred. They had layers upon layers of callouses from constant abuse. They were tough and impenetrable, but looked at Evan with only softness and wonder.

The drawer closed and Delirious let Evan’s hands hold his face. His body felt heavier with the jacket. Exhausting. It was like string was wrapped over his shoulders, slowly pulling him down and down and down. Evan held him up with another kiss, simple and calm.

Blue eyes closed and his head fell to Evan’s shoulder. The cautious hand stayed on the side of his face and he felt light pumping through his veins just standing there. “Because,” – he lifted his head and drew him into another short kiss – “when you kiss me, I can’t hear them speak.”

Evan pulled him down, smothering their lips together and scrunching his eyes closed. He could feel the peace and silence in Delirious’ mind. He understood why his kisses always felt desperate. Delirious was drugged on the complete and total silence he heard when they kissed.


	11. Chapter 11

“What should we do, Sir?” The two men watched the security camera footage of the arts room, the patient and care taker holding each other like they couldn’t get close enough. “Should I remove his care over the patient?”

The black man’s eyes rolled over the screen, clear quality as the caretaker, Mr Fong, stopped his patient, and they both reluctantly locked up and removed themselves from the room. He had respect for the caretaker, one of the better known men for his pairing with the infamous Delirious.

Pairing had suddenly become something closer and it was worrying for the cameraman and his supervisor. There had been bad incidents where caretakers had gotten too attached to patients and it was never something to work out well. Attempts of smuggling them out of the building, and unchaining them to be free mostly ended up with murder and/or the caretaker earning a room and strait jacket of their own.

They weren’t fun to deal with.

“Yes. Promptly. Assign Delirious to Ms Warner. I’ll speak to Mr Fong tonight.” The door shut behind the higher class man and the security cameraman sighed. He had a bad feeling Ms Warner wouldn’t have a very good time as Delirious’ new caretaker.

A very bad feeling.

 

Evan shut the door behind him, lips tight as he made haste down the corridors, rushing to Ryan’s room. His meeting with the supervisor had confirmed his worries and he could feel panic and worry and fear surge through his bloodstream. His fingers were twitching.

All he could see was Delirious covered in blood, crouched behind that body. He knew it wasn’t the first time the man had stolen someone else’ life. He knew it would definitely not be the last. Either way, the image was not pretty and nor was it something Evan made a habit of thinking about.

He knocked, hesitated and slid his card through the machine, allowing him into the room. Bryce instantly noticed his set jaw and Ohm turned to the sound. “They’re taking Delirious off me.”

The only sound of the room was Ohm chewing on the pieces of apple Bryce put between his teeth.

Evan was terrified. He knew he should have been more careful. He knew he shouldn’t have gotten himself into the situation in the first place. He should have used his fucking brain and realised that there was no good outcome to getting attached. He should have known better. He should have been smarter.  

The man walked over slowly and took a seat in the chair at the table, looking hopelessly at the two men across from him. “He’s got some girl taking my place temporarily until they find an appropriate upper class caretaker to permanently take the position.” He cleared his throat and met Bryce’s eyes as bravely as he could with a big sigh. “I’m going to be suspended from working for a month.” He didn’t need to explain why. Both of them already knew.

Evan stared at the table with blank eyes and just waited. He didn’t expect advice or comments or anything from the two but he had no idea what else to do but tell someone. He was supposed to return his key-card that night and the new caretaker would meet Delirious the next morning, and tell him the situation. Evan cringed just thinking about it; such a conversation would never go down well with Delirious.

“What are you going to do, Evan?” Ohm stared in his general direction, accepting another piece of apple. His voice was calm, but knowing, and he could feel Evan’s concentrated silence. He knew his brain was ticking and his own curiosity begged him to find out what exactly it was counting down for. “What’s your plan?”

Bryce sighed. He knew that nothing good could come from the situation, no matter the caretaker’s decision. If the situation was left as is, someone else was going to die. Delirious was uncontrollable and the authorities knew so. They only refrained from moving him into further containment because Evan _could_ control the mental patient. But only he could bring him back to himself and only he was suitable to take care of him as a mental patient. When it came to getting through to the schizophrenic he would only listen to his caretaker and he would only do as his caretaker told him too.

Evan was the only one who could keep him in his mind, and separated from him, he’d be bumped up past 9.5 and into further containment where he’d slowly lose himself to his own mind. He would not take a new caretaker well either. If he got even the slightest opportunity, he would kill her.  Everything would be over for him while all Evan would be able to do is sit at his little unit and fill out assessments.

“I… Once he’s over 9.5 I won’t be able to do anything…” Evan muttered, picking at the plastic of the table. “And I won’t be able to reach him without my card so I have to do something before I hand it in.”

They fell into heavy silence, the three very aware of what could go wrong.

Evan clenched his fists and his teeth. “I can’t… I can’t leave him,” his voice was barely above a whisper. “I can’t let him go insane all by himself. You understand that, don’t you? You know I can’t leave him.”

Bryce tried not to avert his eyes, and set his jaw. He nodded. “You’re going to try get him out of here, aren’t you?” Evan didn’t need to nod. “Okay, well I am not aware of your plan, nor have I helped you at all, but I want to at least make sure you can get out.” Bryce’s blue eyes glanced over his own patient. “If you can make him look less like a patient he won’t be too easy to identify. Remove the makeup, put him in your clothes and take him down less populated halls. Make sure he does not laugh. No one gets out of here undetected Evan, I’m sure you’ll know that but it’s better to get caught trying and have the chance of making it then leaving it as is.” Bryce talked fast and quiet. He knew this was awfully dangerous. “Get to your unit. Grab your keys and borrow a car, get out the gates and tell them you’re both going home for an unexpected funeral you were only told about that day. Get the fuck out. You won’t be expected to do anything because you’re respectable, just don’t fucking come back. Give me your phone.” Bryce took the device and quickly typed in his number alongside Daithi’s, Tyler’s and Brian’s. “I’ll tell the boys once you’re gone just don’t think about us. They’ll be mad but they’ll have to understand, got it?”

Evan nodded, overwhelmed with fear about what he was going to do. There was no other way around it though. If he left Delirious, he would die. At least he’d have a chance to get out if they pulled this off.

“Right now, go back to your place and get a duffel bag. Don’t bring anything more. Get clothes and a tonne of food and as many fucking bottles of his pills from your unit that you can, okay? You’ll need them. Keep in contact with me at least weekly, I’ll bring out more pills whenever you need them just be simple and discrete and don’t get caught. When you can, get a new phone and contact all four of us, so we can change your number. Do you understand?” The authority the younger man had picked up only made the situation more serious.

He hadn’t been here long but he knew this was a major crime. Although he didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire, he cared for his friend.

He took a deep breath and watched the older man leave, not letting himself overthink just how badly everything could go wrong.

 

Evan slammed his front door shut, locking it in a flurry as he darted into his room and yanked a duffel bag out from under his bed. He dragged it to his kitchen where he had three huge boxes of the schizophrenic pills Delirious required. He emptied all three into the bag. There was no time to be organised.

Tins of food, fruits, bread – any simple food that he could find that didn’t need to be cooked or chilled he buried in the large bag before he rushed to his room. Finding pants and a shirt a little bit bigger than his own size, he shoved them in his usual bag that he took to Delirious’ room each day. He fit in some comfortable sneakers, a packed of baby wipes and some gel before hauling the bag to the front door. He dropped the duffel beside it once filled with as much clothes until it could barely be zipped shut and any other basic essentials he had found.

Grabbing a set of keys off the counter, he jogged round the back of campus and tagged out a car, driving it around to his unit and putting his duffel in it. Taking a five minute jog, he made it back to the building and ran into Brian the moment he walked in the door at 5pm. He had one hour before his equipment was required to be handed back in for the month of suspension.

His eyes widened.

“Evan, hey, we heard what happened,” Brian said sadly, unaware of his rushed state as he stepped into pace beside him. He kept up with long strides and rested a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Is everything alright?”

The Irishman looked genuinely concerned and Evan bit his tongue from blurting out everything. “Everything’s fine Brian, but promise me without question that you won’t be mad at what I do. I have to go, urgently, but just please understand. Thank you.” With a sincere smile and a quick hug, he turned away from the confused frown and hurried down the halls.

Taking a quick few turns, he found Delirious’ room and swiped himself in, head down. The mental patient looked up upon seeing him and grinned, forgetting his collar as he tried to stand. When he fell back onto his seat, he didn’t falter his cheer until Evan was directly in front of him, hands working at his collar.

He noticed the rush. “What’s happened, Evan? What are you doing?”

Evan threw his bag down, dropping the collar and fumbling at the buckles to remove the jacket. He looked up at Delirious. “You have to be quick, silent and you have to trust me,” he said firmly as he yanked the jacket over the man’s head. He turned to his bag and threw the clothes at his ex-patient. “Get dressed in these, really quickly. I can’t explain much now because we have to be fast or this won’t work.”

Delirious hesitated, features creased with confusion as he stretched his arms and reluctantly pulled his shirt off and the fresh one on. “Can you please explain what we’re doing?” he asked, voice quivering. The suddenness of the situation was overwhelming his mind, and the voices were chattering. They forced scenarios in his head. Everything bad that could have happened seemed far too real to him. When Evan didn’t respond, he grabbed his shoulders and dragged his eyes to him. “Evan, please.”

Evan looked up at him, breathless with panic and haste, and fell forward into Delirious’ arms. He squeezed his eyes shut and held him tightly. “We’re both getting out and as far from here as we can right now.” Delirious’ body froze. He didn’t like the sound of that. Away from constant medication. Away from restrictions that were necessary to control him. Away from here where he could be protected from and against awful things he would do. Though the fear in Evan’s eyes told him “here” was not where either of them wanted to be. Evan pulled back and turned to his bag. “I’ll explain everything once we’re on the way but you have to get out undetected which means you have to trust me enough to take your makeup off, just for about ten minutes until we’re in the car and you can put it back on as heavily as you’d like. Do you understand?” Evan spoke as firmly and clearly as he could, trying not to rush and ramble. Without the face paint, Delirious tended to feel too vulnerable physically that it affected his vulnerability to the voices.

He stuttered in his movements but forced himself to buckle up his pants and sit down as he started pulling on socks and sneakers. His eyes stayed trained on Evan in silent decision. His voices blurred together and he slowly nodded. His lips didn’t seem to want to agree enough to verbally confirm he would manage so he didn’t try.

Evan exhaled, tacking Delirious’ hand and dragging him to the edge of the table. He sat himself on the edge, pulling Delirious up in front of him. “I can’t kiss you with the paint on. Just think about me, not the voices, okay?” His words were as gentle as his touch as he wiped away the obnoxious face paint. His fingers followed the wipes carefully, brushing away anything left behind as Delirious kept his eyes scrunched shut. It took a full minute to calmly remove all the paint and lipstick, dipping his fingers in the gel and running it through the schizophrenic’s hair to spike it up. “Are you okay?”

Delirious didn’t answer, peeking his eyes open before surging forward and planting his lips against Evan’s. He held him close, fingers curled in his shirt with a desperate grip.

“I’m not going anywhere without you, Del, it’s okay,” Evan murmured to him, easing him back so he could stand. “The sooner we get out of here, the quicker we can get going and I can put it all back on, alright? I have it all packed up with me, everything’s going to be perfectly fine. Stick close and keep your head down though, make sure you don’t say anything. Can you understand me?”

Delirious shuddered and nodded, releasing his grip slightly and allowing Evan to pack everything back up and fold the jacket away in the drawers. He flinched violently when the door jerked open.

“Evan fucking Fong, what the Hell do you think you’re doing?” Tyler and Daithi stood at the door, blocking their exit with defiance. Brian stood behind them. The two men scouted the room, looking over the clean-faced mental patient and fearful expression Evan wore. Delirious stepped in front of him slightly, feeling the threat that radiated off them, and Tyler stepped forward. “No. You aren’t going anywhere. Don’t make me call the supervisors and tell them what’s going on. You’re my friend but this isn’t just a game, he needs to stay here.”

“Tyler. Please.” Evan’s voice was dripping with desperation and Tyler faltered. He could see the concern dripping from the man’s eyes, he could see the fear of what would happen if Delirious was left without him. “I am begging you to let me take him away from here. You know what will happen.”

The two taller caretakers didn’t move or speak. They knew Evan. They’d been friends with him for years of working at the asylum. They knew he was strong in himself and for others and they knew he was genuine. They also knew that he made the best and the worst choices.

“I can’t just sit in my unit for the next month while he is graded and ranked like an animal and put in a box, I can’t,” he said firmly despite the way his lungs rattled in his ribs. Delirious watched in silence. “You have to let me go. Please. You aren’t apart of it, I can’t get you into trouble, just let us go.”

Daithi stepped up to the two, staring daringly at the schizophrenic who dropped his blue eyes to his sneakers. Tyler glared at the back of the Irish caretaker’s head but he didn’t pay any attention. After a few seconds he jabbed a finger at Evan’s chest. “If you fuck up we will not be able to back you,” he growled. “But message us every week so we know what’s up. We’re going to say we have no clue what happened but you can bet yer ass we’ll be keeping in touch. Be fucking careful.”

Evan couldn’t even find the words to thank his friends and Tyler backed out of the room with a defeated sigh. Daithi yanked the two by their shoulders and pushed them into the hallway. “Keep yer heads down. Get out of here.” He shooed them off and Evan yanked Delirious up next to him.

“It’s alright, just keep walking. We’ll be out of here soon.”


	12. Chapter 12

 “Soon” was further away than Evan had liked.

Delirious stuck close to him as they’d walked. He was radiating anxiety and his tight lips showed his pain all too easily. Evan could feel his internal struggle of his partner as he fought and argued with the voices. The vulnerability of his bare face always affected his strength against them.

Evan just focussed on getting them both out, repeatedly knocking his hand against his Delirious’ to remind him that he wasn’t alone. To remind him that Evan was there and he was going to be there for a long time. As they made their way down winding corridors, avoiding the main halls, he allowed Delirious to link two of their fingers for further comfort.

“Mr Fong?”

Shit.

Evan rose his eyes and slowed his pace as the woman closed a door behind her. She wore a bright grin and big eyes. Without hesitation, she stuck out her hand invitingly. “Hi! I’m Eveline Warner! I’m going to be standing in for you in taking care of Delirious. It’s so nice to meet you, I’ve heard such good things about your skills in taking care of patients!” Her voice bounced around the area and Delirious stepped back slightly, keeping his head low and fingers linked with Evan’s behind the man’s back.

Evan faked a smile. “Hey I’d love to chat but I have to take care of something really urgently,” he forced out between grit teeth. He didn’t have time to worry about this chick. She wouldn’t be standing in for him or doing anything with Delirious any time soon.

She frowned lightly at his dismissal and stepped back a moment to look at his partner, confusion drawn all over her face. Delirious’ eyes flicked up to look up at her, head still bowed in fear. The moment her eyes caught his, she stumbled back and slapped the button on her walkie. She reached for her other hip.

The fingers in Evan’s vanished and Delirious slammed the woman against the wall.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.

“Delirious!” Evan hissed as the woman clawed at the fingers that tightened around her throat, holding her up off the ground as her walkie started to vibrate. Delirious didn’t budge and his lips pulled back into a smirk as he felt her windpipe crush beneath his fingers. Not a word left his lips and he stepped back, her body dropping to the ground, crumpling in on itself. “Fuck!” Evan cursed, grabbing Delirious’ shoulder and yanking him back. The icy eyes met his with a ferocity that vanished in seconds. “Move!” he barked, grabbing his wrist and pulling him down the hall. He felt his walkie vibrate at his hip, flicking the off button as he ran, Delirious right behind him.

They darted around a corner and two hands grabbed Evan’s shoulders to stop him from colliding head on with someone. Delirious crashed into his back, staggering. Evan’s mind raced and he bounced into action, grabbing the arms of the man he didn’t know. He yanked down at his elbows, pulling him close and jerking his knee up into his gut.

“What the-” the man wheezed and collapsed against the wall. Delirious yanked his walkie from his hands before he could call to anyone and shoved Evan forward.

The two ran alongside each other, ducking through a door into a quieter hallway. They moved with swiftness and silence, Evan glancing around each corner. He flinched at any sound and at one point they had moved past a woman walking with a stack of files in her arms. When she had called after them, neither had responded or even spared her a glance.

They rounded a corner that lead straight to the entrance to the building and were met with two men with guns standing at the very door they needed to pass through. Evan’s lungs clenched and he stepped up, confidently walking with his eyes on the door. He could feel Delirious right behind him and he had a hand on the door when one of the officers put fingers to his chest and looked him up and down.

“What are you two doing?” he asked, voice gruff and unsure. His buddy looked Delirious up and down who had snatched Evan’s phone and was flicking through contacts with his eyes firmly downcast.

Evan put on a small smile and raised his brows. “I’m showing this big guy back to his unit. He’s a newbie.” His voice was surprisingly firm and assured and the two men shared a questioning glance. To Evan’s full relief, the hand dropped and they stepped aside without another word, allowing the men to pass through the doors.

The doors swung shut behind them, but didn’t conceal the yell from inside. Evan looked back to see the supervisor he’d spoken to an hour earlier, charging down the hall with two men on his heels. Both held big guns and all three looked very determined to stop the pair.

“Fuck, Delirious run!” Evan grabbed Delirious’ wrist pulling him into a sprint alongside the edge of the building. He hastily dropped his phone back into his back and thrusted it into the other man’s hands. “We have to get to my unit. It’s 87, there are two guns in the back of the car I have there, whatever happens: get them and protect yourself. There’s no going back now.”

Delirious nodded, catching Evan’s eye for a moment and flashing him a weary grin. The action was distracting him from his voices and he could lock his mind onto the task of getting to the unit and the guns with a thrill. He would do whatever Evan told him to.

At this point they were both in for it. If they were caught, Evan would be tested and likely presented with his very own level two strait jacket and room, and Delirious would be locked into further containment. They were both fucked for the rest of their days if they didn’t pull this off.

 

Bryce looked down at the body, face pale as he glanced at Tyler. The two were the only left at the scene, all other guards and caretakers told to search and find the two wanted men in or out of the building. Tyler rubbed his eyes with his fingers, shaking his head and sighing heavily. “Daithi told him,” he mumbled, glaring down at the lifeless woman. “He fucking told him not to fuck up, that dumbass fuckboy.”

 

Evan’s knees hit the ground, pain striking through his calf. His leg had become home to a bullet. Delirious threw a glance over his shoulder. Evan saw the rage that bubbled behind his blue eyes. “Delirious run!” he gasped out. The schizophrenic hesitated, not flinching as a bullet zipped past him. Evan grit his teeth. “The car! Get the guns!”

With a jerk of the head, the taller man turned back and darted around the back of the car parked another few yards past the injured man. Evan bowed his head, hands covering the wound in his leg as he tried to push the pain back out of him. The sounds of bullets popping had increased over the campus and there were many eyes of confusion and curiosity watching as the group of officers chased the pair to the unit.

Evan set his jaw and pushed himself up on his good leg, hobbling as quickly as he could until he was able to throw himself around the back of the car. Delirious grabbed him by the forearm, yanking the car door open and helping the man into the driver’s seat.

“Do you know how to shoot a gun,” he gasped, twisting in his seat as Delirious shut himself in the backseat, shifting over onto the other side facing the oncoming gunmen.

He shot a wild smile at his criminal partner, flicking off the safety. “You think I’d come unprepared?” he asked sweetly, before turning to his task. The window pane was shot out before he got the opportunity to try and wind it down and he immediately ducked down into the foot space, resting the gun on the window sill and shooting wildly towards them.

Their approach halted considerably at the rapid fire and the car engine revved up. “Seatbelt?” Evan offered weakly.

“Drive Evan!” Delirious shouted.

He did not need to be told twice. He slammed his good foot on the accelerator and the car jerked into motion. He didn’t falter as he swung the car around and drove it straight around the front of the building towards the exit. The boom gates that stopped people coming in and out were locked down and because of the commotion, no one sat in the booth. Anyone who should have been, wouldn’t have appreciated Evan crashing through the bar, snapping it and shooting them right out of the compound and into the outside world.

Delirious collapsed back in the seat, head lolling back against the headrest and the gun falling onto his lap. His chest heaved up and down, eyes closed in slow attempts to calm his racing heartbeat. Evan grunted in pain in the front seat, not letting his foot lift from the pedal as they roared down the flat road. When they got to a crossing, he eased off the accelerator for only a moment to swing the wheel right and shoot them down the next road. In moments they were swallowed into the belly of the surrounding forest.

“Evan?” Delirious asked gently, setting the gun down as he leaned forward to look over the driver. He had his jaw set like concrete and his eyes glared down the road. Sweat soaked him and he sat rigid, paying no mind to anything but getting the fuck away. “Evan, your leg.” For once, Delirious was calm and concerned, watching the blood drip down his leg and pool beneath the seat.

The injured man shook his head, taking a moment to find the strength to speak. “We have to get out of here first, we can’t stop.” He nodded up at his mirror and Delirious stuck his head out the window only to have to jerk back inside as three bullets zoomed past.

Fire burnt at his lungs as he pulled the gun up to his shoulder, poking out the window once more. He aimed down the road, pulling the trigger and watching as the front tire of the first car burst and deflate. He aimed again and shot out the other and watched with a sick satisfaction as the car swerved right around, skidding all over the road only for the car directly behind to slam straight into its side. The two cars tumbled over each other before falling to stillness and being left far behind.


	13. Chapter 13

Delirious pulled himself back inside and held onto the window as the car twisted left and right and right and left, winding deeper and deeper into the forest until they were sure they were far enough away from any pursuers. Evan pulled off onto a dirt road, easing off on the speed and allowing them to cruise alongside paddocks and acres of farmland, taking them off and away from main roads and areas where they’d likely be stumbled upon.

It took ten more minutes of convincing for Evan to hop over into the passenger seat with a heavy first aid kit and allow Delirious to take his spot and steer them further away from the compound. Neither of the spoke. Delirious just focussed on driving and the soft sounds of pain Evan emitted. He swallowed pain meds and shakily removed the bullet with tweezers.

After ten minutes of Evan sorting himself out and preparing a curved needle and string for stitches, they pulled over and cut the engine. Evan swung his bleeding leg onto Delirious’ side of the car, leaning back against the window and squeezing his eyes shut. The schizophrenic took the needle and some cleansing wipes and cleaned the blood from the wound.

He carefully pushed the needle under the skin and began threading the wound closed. It was harder to shut out Evan’s heavy panting and groans of pain. The bandage wrapped tightly around the stitched wound, almost immediately staining red as Evan shakily pulled his leg back on his side of the car. He didn’t complain or whine or breathe anything more than a whimper of pain. And after a few moments of forcing away the pain, he leaned into the back and retrieved the face paints he’d thrown in his bag.

He handed them to his partner who placed them to the side. Tentative and cautious, Delirious curled a hand around the back of Evan’s neck, drawing him close and fitting their lips together like puzzle pieces. Shaky fingers curled fists in his shirt and he rested a hand lightly on Evan’s cheek. His thumb brushed along his cheekbone, allowing the silence to swallow them as they breathed each other in. Evan trembled, leaning forward into him like he was the only thing keeping the man alive, the only thing keeping him together and stopping him from falling apart.  

When they broke apart, Evan picked up the paint and began slowly drawing on Delirious’ infamous face. Neither had said a word since they’d switched seats and they were both content to feel the silence swell in their stomachs. It was thick but comfortable. A blanket, of sorts, to protect them from what they’d done. From how they’d set themselves up on wanted notices and newspapers.

Evan allowed the paints to be eased from his hands and smiled lightly as Delirious brought the brush to his cheek instead. The paint was cool as it circled his eyes and curled over his cheeks. He felt it set on his skin, nothing more than a small itch, as the lipstick layered over his chapped lips. He smiled and let Delirious pack it all away for him, restarting the car and pulling them back onto the road.

The ex-patient doubted they’d be stopping for much longer than a few hours at a time until they were both far, far away from searching eyes. He settled himself behind the wheel and pressed a few buttons on the radio, allowing some music he’d never heard before to fill their voiceless silence. It filled space and soothed nerves as the car cruised along.

Not ten minutes after they’d gotten back onto a main road, Delirious looked over and smiled pleasantly at Evan who had his good leg tucked up on his seat, head against the window and eyes closed.

Delirious returned his gaze to the road. His smile didn’t leave his lips.

 

Evan was still asleep when his phone began vibrating on the dashboard. It was long into the night and Delirious was still driving. When he heard the foreign sound, he almost slammed on the breaks, before jerking out of his tranquil state and picking up the device.

Bryce’s name showed up.

He slowed his speed on the empty road and held the phone to his ear with one hand, the other settled on the steering wheel. “Hello?” he asked lightly, his voice weary and sore.

Shuffling was heard on the other end. “Delirious? Where’s Evan? Where are you both? What’s happening? They’re thinking of sending out helicopters to try and track you down. We’re all worried sick, Tyler’s about to rip my head off.” The boy rambled, his voice rolling from one sentence to another and Delirious sighed softly.

“Evan’s sleeping now, I’m driving,” Delirious told him, voice soft as to not wake the man beside him. “He got shot on the way out and I stitched him up as best as I can. It might be helpful if you ask Ohm about how to treat a direct bullet wound in the calf tomorrow and see what he says. For the moment I think he’ll be okay.”

He felt himself swallow a yawn as he explained their situation. Bryce sighed in relief on the other end. He could feel the concern begin to melt off the boy’s shoulders and smiled himself. The whole situation was condensed with stress and fear but he and Evan were out and the others back at the asylum weren’t suspected.

It was going to work out.

“Delirious,” Daithi’s thick accent drifted through the phone and Delirious smirked on habit. “Keep the pressure on and try elevate his foot as well as possible just to try and reduce blood flow to the wound. Put on fresh bandaging twice a day if it continues to bleed. That should do the very least in helping it heal but don’t let him do anything for a few weeks until it is completely healed.”

The phone was transferred before he could respond. “Get to the other side of the fucking country. Drive as often as you can without overworking yourself. Once Evan’s fit to stay awake and drive for a few hours let him so you can rest. Evan used to live in Canada, finding a place up there might even be a good decision but you’ll just have to lay low for a couple of months and chill out. Don’t do anything stupid, fuckboys,” Tyler snapped. Delirious knew neither of them were fond of him. He knew they didn’t trust him.

“I’ll call Bryce when he’s awake,” Delirious told them all and Tyler huffed in approval. Bryce said a quick “be safe” before disappearing and leaving Delirious to himself, the road and the voices.

All of which were being surprisingly calm despite the situation.

_I’m tired Delly._

_Evan looks so pretty when he sleeps, don’t you think?_

_Does this mean we can kiss him whenever we want now?_

_Does this mean we can do anything with him?_

_Delirious let’s kiss him more!_

_Sleep now! Sleep, sleep, sleep!_

He yawned again and sighed, pulling over the side of the road, two large paddocks either side of them. He shut off the engine, locked the doors and eased his seat back far enough to comfortably sleep. Before he drifted off completely, he put an early alarm on for the morning to wake him. With what Bryce had told him, the use of helicopters would begin early, so they’d need to be moving even earlier. With the large open areas they were driving through, they’d need to find some sort of cover to shelter in just in case.

It was always better to be safe than sorry. Now more than ever.


	14. Chapter 14

“They’re alive.” Ohm raised his head. He had barely heard anything of what had happened the day before, but the gunshots and the shouting seemed to echo throughout the whole building. He knew enough.

He wasn’t fazed, if not a bit hopeful that the two had made it away from the compound in two pieces. Ohm wasn’t one to get attached to anyone, he’d stopped doing that years ago, but he still appreciated the two and their occasional company. It would be a shame for them to end in tragedy.            

He felt two lips against his forehead and swayed forward in an attempt to follow their absence. “Why do you sound concerned then?” he asked, taking a drink when a straw prodded his lips. He allowed himself to blindly be fed breakfast and listened to Bryce’s breathing.

“What’s the best way to help a calf bullet wound heal?” Bryce was never one to be subtle about his thoughts. Nor was he very good at keeping any secrets he’d had since he’d begun working at the asylum.

Ohm couldn’t help his little smile. “In the calf? If possible, remove the bullet, keep constant pressure, bandage and elevate. Not much else to it. Stitch it if it’s bleeding a lot. Otherwise don’t put it under stress,” he instructed. It had been years since he had been to any kind of medical school. He couldn’t say he didn’t miss it, but he knew enough to get by with basics. He chewed on the muesli bar he was offered. “Was it Delirious?”

“Evan.” Bryce grit his teeth. It was not a fun thing to think about.

Daithi had witnessed the situation, being told to shoot at the escapees himself. He’d been suspended for a week of his own after “accidently” shooting one of the officers in the arm. He’d been far too close to Evan and Daithi wasn’t going to risk having one of them shot in the head or chest. He’d made a split decision and successfully aided the two in getting the Hell out of there. The supervisor had gone off his face the moment the car crashed through the boom gates and vanished down the road.

Two other cars had been geared up and put on hot pursuit, and Daithi definitely got his five minutes of being screamed at. The supervisor was furious that the two had gotten away and even more so that several of his men were bleeding out on the dirt. Lui was going to be given a substitute, likely Tyler, to fill in.

“They’re going to just keep driving for a few days, I’m pretty sure. Delirious said Evan would call me when he woke up. They sent out helicopters an hour ago.” Bryce’s voice was restricted and closed off. The nerves radiated off his tongue with the words and it sounded like he was speaking around a golf ball in his throat.

Ohm hummed in thought. “They’ll manage, Delirious has been in situations on the run before. He thinks quick, especially on medication. Evan will be fine,” he told the younger man and finished chewing the muesli bar. “Don’t worry too much, Brycey.”

 

Evan felt bright light nudge against his eyelids, consciousness dragging him back up to the real world with the loud sound of helicopter blades and a constant, heavy throbbing in his lower leg. He blinked his eyes open, despite the difficulty of the simple task, and allowed his head to roll to the side. His dark eyes crawled up to Delirious who sat still in the driver’s seat, munching on an apple and glaring out the windshield blankly.

The sounds of the helicopters overhead swept back and forth, drawing closer and further away with every few minutes. From what Evan could understand the two were still in the same car and had made it to another sheltered area. Some sort of bushland Evan didn’t recognise. It was enough to shield them from the huge mechanical vultures and Evan resorted to staring at Delirious until his body decided to wake up further.

“Have you had your pills?” he coughed out after a few minutes and crystal eyes washed over his painted face. Delirious shook his head, lips pursed. Evan nodded, stretched and squirmed around in his seat, feeling for body parts that didn’t want to cooperate. He decided against moving too far. “I put as much as I could fit into my duffel in the back if you could drag that to the front for me. I can get some more food and your medication.”

Delirious’ lips stayed pursed as he shifted over and crawled between the chairs, reaching for the strap and yanking it towards him. Backing up into his seat, he pulled it over onto his lap and peered back up at what he could see of the sky while Evan rummaged for the pills. He pulled out three different labelled containers and tapped out a pill from each, grabbing a water bottle and easing it into the schizophrenic’s hands.

“Delirious, take these for me,” he said gently, exhaustion hanging off each of his words. The older man looked over him without expression, before popping all three on his tongue and swallowing them with a mouthful of water. Evan pulled the duffel closer and pulled out a packet of biscuits. The two of them ate and listened as the machines swooped around above them.

Evan picked up his phone as he chewed, opening it to his phone app to see that he’d taken a call from Bryce last night. Delirious must have spoken to him. The presence of the helicopters held the tension in the car tightly, but after long minutes of tight fits and stuttering lungs, the sound of chopping blades grew softer and further away until they couldn’t be heard anymore.

Delirious looked over Evan. “Prop your leg up on the dashboard,” he told him. “We’ll get back to driving in another half an hour, I want to be sure they don’t come back and spot us moving. Just relax for now. Maybe call Bryce, he was wanting to talk to you.”

Evan nodded, resting his seat back so he could lay comfortably, and rest his foot on the dashboard without straining the injury. He was shattered, no matter how long he’d slept.

Delirious busied himself with stepping out of the car and pushing up the boot door. There was a metre of space between the back doors and the second row of seats and Evan listened as the seats were put down and flattened. That way only two seats were available in the front and there was two metres of space in the rest of the car.

Delirious returned to the driver’s seat, eyes on the sky with caution. Evan hadn’t heard the slightest sound of the flight vehicles but understood the distrust in his partner’s eyes. In this situation, they wouldn’t be able to draw any attention to themselves for weeks. It was too risky.

With a heavy sigh, he tapped on Bryce’s name.

“You’re a fucking idiot, you know that?” Bryce’s voice hissed through the receiver, the sound of a door slamming shut behind him. Evan winced. “Taking a shot, killing the fucking woman, what the Hell went through your heads!?”

Delirious glanced at Evan, eyes of guilt. Bryce’s erratic volume burst through the phone. Evan smiled with reassurance and he trailed his fingertips along the back of the hand that clenched around the gearstick. His posture was coiled and tight, ready to spring into action at any moment. It was like he was waiting for gunshots, or shouting, or anything that would give him a reason to slam the car into drive and go. He flinched at the contact but watched Evan’s face closely as the younger man rested his hand completely over the other.

“The woman had recognised Delirious anyway, she was about to scream and she’d already hit the alarm button. I didn’t expect we’d make it out unscathed either way,” Evan spoke calmly, Bryce’s silence settling among them throughout the car. “My leg’s fine and we’ll be out of the state soon enough. I think we’ll head north soon anyway, we can get over the border and try catch a flight in a few months once we’re off the radar.”

Delirious lifted his fingers away from the gear stick, twisting his hand and intertwining his fingers through Evan’s. His shoulders dropped, he relaxed back against the chair and his lips lifted ever-so-slightly in a small smile of content.

Bryce sighed through the speaker. “Just don’t do anything reckless,” he said firmly. “Keep your leg elevated and don’t put any stress on it. Stay off the radar and for the love of God, don’t kill anyone else.”

The machine beeped without so much as a goodbye and Evan placed the phone in the side of the car door, affection warming his heart in his chest for the blonde boy. His eyes lifted to Delirious’ who watched him closely. His body was no long twisted tightly like a spring, and instead sat comfortably. His hand was warm in Evan’s.

His friends’ concern was something Evan didn’t take for granted – he knew the ruckus they’d caused could have gone down in several ways that would have left him and Delirious in very bad situations, if alive at all. He knew that these situations were still very plausible in present time, the idea likely very feared among his friends. He knew that when he would speak to Tyler and Daithi he’d definitely get an earful through the phone, and that neither would be happy about what he’d pulled.

He supposed it was called for, but definitely worth it, as he crawled into the space in the back of the car. He didn’t let himself regret anything as Delirious sat himself between his legs, holding his painted face and planting painted kisses over his cheeks, jaw and lips, smudging lipstick anywhere that wasn’t already smudged with splotches of tinted red.

After enough of Evan’s whining, Delirious let himself be pulled down and kissed with enthusiasm of fear, affection and a million other emotions. Feelings Evan could not put into words were spoken in kisses and love bites to lips and skin and though there would be a constant of underlying worry and fear, the two could not contain their joy of escaping the asylum. They could not hide their happiness of being together as Delirious started driving not half an hour later, but two hours later. They could not hide their affection as Evan fell back asleep in the passenger’s seat, his hand still linking loosely with his partner’s.

 

They drove for hours and hours, and slept together in the back of the car when necessary. For days they alternated, driving through small towns and backroads. They stole a car of similar size in the night, throwing the duffle in the back and driving several towns over before the sun even thought to rise. With nameless faces, they bought food and supplies and spoke every few days with those back at the asylum. After a month and a half, they were on a cheap flight over into Canada. The winter enveloped them in cold hugs of welcome and love, and they spent several days driving again, making their way even further north to where the Fong residence lay, no relative but a housemaid who checked up on everything once a month. Evan just hoped they could make it theirs.


	15. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little domestic ending to the story <3

Evan jumped out of his skin as two hands crawled around his waist. They were cold on his bare skin and he gasped as he was spun around to face tousled hair and bright blue eyes. The grin his partner wore disappeared into a kiss they shared and Delirious lifted Evan up onto the counter.

“Have you had your medication?” Evan asked, a fond smile at his lips as Delirious’ fingers drew circles on his thighs. He nodded like a proud child, joining their lips in another blissful kiss. When Evan blinked his eyes back open, Delirious was sipping _his_ coffee and popping two pieces of bread in the toaster.

Blue eyes sparkled with mischief.

Evan jumped down from the counter, turning and pulling out plates to put the toast on, retrieving jam and butter and removing the toasted pieces to spread them with strawberry goodness. He placed the plate on the bench beside his lover and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Good, babe, just make sure you don’t forget.” He kissed his lips, easing his body forward into his personal space. “And next time,” he murmured, dragging Delirious’ bottom lip between his teeth as he pulled back, “make your own coffee.” He winked at the blushing man who chomped down on a piece of toast, blushing but smiling.

He knew just as well as Evan that he wouldn’t.  

Evan bounded up the stairs, shutting the door of the bathroom behind him and stripping. He stepped into the steam and hummed to himself as he washed. Entering his shared room with a towel around his waist had Delirious attaching himself to him the moment he walked in. Lips kissed along his jaw, hands slipped around to his lower back. He almost devoured him, droplets of water still damp in his hair.

When he reached up, one hand still holding up his towel, his fingers dragged through his boyfriend’s hair, ring cold on his finger. The two had agreed that having a marriage ceremony and making a big deal out of it wasn’t smart, and settled with being “boyfriends” for the time being. They were comfortable with each other whether they gave each other labels or not. They weren’t particularly necessary in a private relationship and the two didn’t make a habit of going out and socialising. They didn’t need to. They were happy with one another.

As long as Evan was by Delirious’ side and vice versa the two didn’t need much else other than occasional grocery trips and a jog to the post office every six months to retrieve the package Bryce sent with half a year’s worth of medication. It was a good arrangement, it was a comfortable arrangement and it had worked without issue for the past three years. Evan didn’t doubt that it would continue to work for them as they laid low and did what they were supposed to do.

For Evan that was to stay with his lover and work as a waiter at a restaurant in the evenings. Delirious stayed home most days, busying himself with little things like reading and playing the piano Evan’s father had played when they’d all lived as a family. He didn’t get bored too easily, nor did he ever have much to complain about so their little arrangement rarely had any hiccups and the two loved the comfort they’d sought with one another.

Evan pulled away, smiling at the childish eagerness glowing in Delirious’ gaze. He was still just as excited and chirpy, Evan assuming it was a small side effect of the medication that he took each morning. Evan moved past his boyfriend to the wardrobe, not acknowledging the little pat on the butt he got as he passed, and listened as Delirious moved into the bathroom. After he was changed and the other was out of the shower and also changed, he allowed himself time to paint over Delirious’ face.

Delirious himself had improved vastly upon living in a comfortable environment with the man he loved. He had more control of himself when it came to being responsible over his own medication and monitoring how he felt by himself. Of course Evan loved to ask how he was and how the voices were treating him but each day they spoke less and less and only ever about little things. Nine out of ten times he heard them it was chatter about Evan but it had been long since the last time they’d begged for his death. Now they spoke about his lips or his hips or the way he talked in his sleep sometimes.

He still felt most comfortable in his face paint. It was no longer necessary and didn’t need to be depended on to protect his mind. He didn’t seek shelter behind a painted mask and instead played around with the whites and reds when he was laying around at home with Evan and just felt like it.

It was a comfort thing.

Although Evan didn’t seem to love how the pillows often had stains of white powder brushed off on them on the couches and beds. He claimed it was like having a dog that shed everywhere around his house. Delirious just kissed his whining away.

Yes, the two were very happy. They were happy to live their little private lives, only really interacting with one another and, every now and then, Bryce or Tyler or Daithi or Brian. They spoke to the men back at the compound at least once each month to catch up and check in. Apparently they were still being looked out for, always a watch to see if the criminal pair would turn up. The supervisors didn’t like to hear about how they’d let a 9.3 escape their facility.

“Delirious!” Evan scowled from the bathroom. His lover trotted after his voice, finding him leaning up close in the mirror and examining the two love bites at the base of his neck. They were bruising a deep purple, dark on his tan skin. He turned to Delirious who was smirking at his handy work. “You know I don’t like it when you leave marks!”

Delirious’ smirk widened, stepping up close to his shorter boyfriend and curling his arms tightly around his waist. “Aw, but babe,” he cooed, peppering kisses over his cheek light enough not to smudge makeup everywhere. He trailed his lips to Evan’s ear. “That’s not what you were saying last night,” he murmured and Evan growled.

He shoved the taller man back, cheeks and ears pink with fluster as he turned back to the mirror. With a huff, he snatched up a scarf from the hooks on the door and curled it around his neck. He stomped past Delirious and back out into the main room. “I’m going to go down to the store, we’re out of milk. I’m leaving my phone here so if Daithi calls like he said he would, answer him and chat with him until I get back. I’ll know if you bother him so don’t.”

His sweet tone returned as he pressed a kiss to his lover’s cheek and patted his chest, grabbing a bag and his wallet. Flashing a smile as he opened the door to wind and snow, he blew a kiss and beamed. “I’ll be back in twenty!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of this story I wrote, excuse any little mistakes I made - I edit late at night and often don't pick up everything. If you did enjoy, I'm going to be writing more stories on tumblr and maybe posting them here but I'll end up likely posting a whole story in one night (like I did with this) instead of posting chapter by chapter like I do on tumblr.
> 
> Either way, hope you enjoyed! <3
> 
> http://chinxino5.tumblr.com/

**Author's Note:**

> Brohm fic: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11693625?view_full_work=true  
> Tumblr: chinxino5.tumblr.com


End file.
